Love's Confusion
by flower on thewind
Summary: Rei doesn't know what to think! Is there happiness in the past or future? ... Maybe both. Set with two endings! Warnings: Yaoishonenai, a KaiReiKevin love triangle NOTES:Kevin's Ending is up! Kai's ending up Status complete reposting
1. The Confusion Begins

Flower_on_thewind: Um hi everyone!!! This is my first Beyblade fic, and my second fic ever to grace the net. *says unenthusiastically* Wow. I'm so happy.  
  
Duo: You know. I don't think I should have even grace existence.  
  
Flower_on_thewind: Quiet you! Okay, some warnings before hand.  
  
*My disclaimer: I do not own the anime cartoon Beyblade or any of its characters. But I do own this fic ^_^;  
  
*I must warn you that there is a whole bunch of Yaoi/shonen-ai. There's one mean love square.um.if you can call that a love square.-_-; and.um.one REALLY weird pairing.  
  
*MAJOR OCC-ness everyone!! I no matter how I tried, I couldn't get their personalities!! And I haven't watched the episode where they explain why Rei left the White Tigers.so if this doesn't make sense.deal with it. ~_^;  
  
*My writing skills isn't that readable (so says a couple of people I know -_-;) so don't mind my over descriptive writing style. When I was writing this, I really had no idea where this would go, and I was kinda moody.so if it doesn't make any sense, keep reading and give this neophyte a chance!!!  
  
*MAJOR OCC-NESS!!!  
  
Duo: You said that already!!  
  
Flower_on_thewind : Well that means REALLY watch out for it!!  
  
Duo: Whatever.let's just get on with the story!!  
  
Flower_on_thewind: or my attempts of one.  
  
****************************************  
  
"We all have to keep on practicing in order to win!" Kai's voice boomed with a low threatening edge to it.  
  
"Yeah, well if we all keep on practicing, when are we going to have fun!?!?!" yelled a rather frustrated Tyson. They had been practicing for about hours and Tyson was becoming a little bored.  
  
"Well, your lucky streak isn't going to hold up forever. You need to learn some actual skills."  
  
"Yeah, well it doesn't mean we can't have a break once in a while!"  
  
"GUYS, guys, guys!! Stop with the arguing!" Max interrupted while coming between the two boys. The two were arguing like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Max is right, we can't waste our time arguing." Kenny's reasonable voice jumped in. He was getting a major headache from all the yelling Tyson had been doing and the lack of sleep he had the night before.  
  
"Hold up, everyone! How about this." Rei said suddenly, making his present's known to everyone again. It seems that staying quiet for a while makes people forget you're there. "We keep practicing for another half an hour and then have a breather."  
  
"Great idea!!" Max agreed, his relief evident in his voice.  
  
"Fine. In a half an hour we get a break." Tyson agreed closing the argument. Only a 'Humph' was the reply from Kai as all four went back to testing new strategies and experimenting new moves.  
  
Exactly a half an hour later, Tyson grabbed his beyblade and ran off with Max and Kenny. He wanted to make the best out of his free time with his friends. Rei however kept practicing, as he wanted to be at his best even though he didn't have a bit-beast. There was one problem though.Kai.  
  
Kai was a little angry that his team wasn't at the level he wanted them to be. With Tyson always fooling around with Max or Kenny, they couldn't do some of the things that he wanted to do. What really irked him was how far Tyson or Max has gotten without having the discipline a normal person would have at their level. While Kai rested against the wall, his foul mood was felt everywhere. It was distracting, especially to Rei who needed concentration.  
  
Sighing in defeat, Rei gave up trying to practice. If only Kai would understand that Beyblading wasn't all about wining. Tyson only wanted to have some fun. Beyblading was supposed to be fun, but that wasn't what Kai thought. Wining. That was the only thing he thought about. right?  
  
"Don't be so angry, Kai." Rei said softly as he rested beside Kai. "Tyson just needed a break. He's not use to practicing when his heart isn't in it." Which was very true. Kai made practicing seem like homework. It was like a problem you had to deal with.  
  
"How can he act like such an amateur? Especially when this tournament is for those with great skill!" Kai suddenly exploded. He wasn't one to show his feelings, but everything seemed.unfair? Yes, it was unfair in that Tyson could become so great without working hard seemingly at all! Was it that he was jealous of Tyson? Was it that he was jealous of all of them? They had somebody who loved them. Tyson has his grandfather, Max has his dad, and Chief had his family, but what about him? He was stuck with a demanding grandfather who didn't care squat about him. His grandfather just wanted one thing. Perfection. Okay, maybe he was a little bit jealous.but was he forgetting someone?  
  
"I know Tyson could act very energetic sometimes, but he's just trying to act his age." Rei reasoned not even knowing what Kai just realized. "As for his skills.I think his so good naturally because he battles with his heart. Weather if he's battling for pride's sake or for someone else, he battles with everything he has, holding back nothing! What can you expect of a Dragon?"  
  
"... That can't be the only reason he became my rival in such a small amount of time. When I first met him, he had no clue about anything on Beyblades." There was a pause of silence between those two before Kai added quietly. "His skills could or already has surpassed mine. He beat me at the tournament. I was so sure I would win. But I didn't.I want to know how he did it."  
  
"So this is what the lone wolf is worried about? You're afraid he's going to surpass you." Rei said a little surprised. He knew that Kai was competitive, but not a sore loser. Maybe he has lots of pride under that icy mask he wears. 'Maybe he hides a lot of things under that mask.!' It was true though. Kai was very mysterious and.well to put it simply, he keeps to himself. It was rare that he expressed any emotion other than being pissed off, or just being competitive. Rei suddenly felt very privileged.  
  
"It's not just him too." Kai mumbled, not answering Rei's question. "Ever since I met any of you, I realized how my skills are compared to so many others." Rei kept quiet. He finally realized that Kai was starting to see how his skills weren't so far superior than everyone else's. After a while of silence, realization that Kai spoke of his emotions hit him like a waterfall. 'shit' he thought. He quickly put back his icy mask that had started to melt during his conversation with a certain Chinese boy.  
  
Rei knew the moment when Kai put back his defenses. He had to admit he was kind of sad that Kai did. He actually liked to get to know Kai. 'Too bad he doesn't open up much.he needs to do it more often or he might explode' Rei took a couple of steps away from the grey/blue hair boy before stating, " The others probably won't come back till tonight. We might as well forget about practicing with them." And with that, Rei went back to practicing while Kai stayed where he was, deep in thought.  
  
********************************************  
  
Late in the afternoon, Kai was wandering about the building with no apparent destination in mind. He silently scolded himself for letting somebody in on his emotions. It just told him how weak he has become. He wasn't only disappointed in himself for having such personal conversation with someone else, but he was also disappointed about his mind. Deep in the recess of his mind, something told him that his conversation with the Chinese boy was a good thing and that he should do it more often. He cursed at himself some more because of that stupid.something that he couldn't quiet pinpoint what that craved to be released. All he knew was that something in that conversation did something to him that had to do with Rei. 'Could it be.that I.LIKE opening up or is it.something else?' suddenly grasping what he just thought, he decided physical punishment would be needed to regain his discipline. Quickly heading to the men's washroom and making sure no one was around, he promptly began bashing his head against the walls. When he finally accomplished getting a rather large bump on his forehead did he stop. 'What's wrong with me?' Deciding that he shouldn't think about anything anymore, he set a destination to practice his skills. After all, winning is everything.right?  
  
It was mere luck that Rei was still practicing. Of course, he lived to Beyblade. If he had to go through this tournament without a bit beast, then he wanted to be at his absolute best. Then again, his mind kept wandering off to Kai and his sudden display of emotion. He couldn't help it! Heck the guy was mysterious and good looking. You'd be weird if you didn't. 'Whoa! Don't go there Rei. You might make your feelings about him worse.' Okay, so Rei was attracted to Kai. He has been for a long time now. He really hoped that this was all going to go away. Rei shook his head as he picked up his fallen Driger to once again launch it. He shouldn't dwell on that conversation. Nothing really important happened in it. 'Yeah, nothing but Kai opening up.to me.' Quickly he made his trail of thoughts head towards a different route. Not surprisingly, it went to the White Tigers. Okay, so he felt bad leaving them in the dust.Ha, the understatement of the year. He felt terrible because of.because of.No! Don't go there. He made himself concentrate on beyblading again. It was only five more minutes before he realized that someone else was in the room with him.  
  
Kai really thought that Rei would have left to find Tyson. Figures.Rei was a lot like him in some ways. 'Juuuust great.I try to get him out of my head, and look what happens.' Kai silently watched as Rei practiced. His concentration seemed nowhere near as good as when Kai first met him. 'Probably thinking about his old team again.' Kai concluded while watching Rei's face. He watched Rei's golden eyes narrow when his beyblade didn't execute it's move right.They were piercing golden eyes that reminded him of a tiger's. His eyes wandered to his hair silky black hair, wondering if it was as soft as it looks-What the hell!?!?! Where did that come from!?!?!? The more Kai thought about it, the more he became aware on how good looking his Chinese friend really was. 'So I have an attractive teammate, that's all. It's not like I like him or anything. And it's not like my other teammates are anything to look at.' He watched the raven- haired boy until Rei grew tense with awareness.  
  
"Kai! How long have you been there?" Rei asked a little surprised. 'Damn! I should have been more aware of my surroundings!'  
  
"A couple of minutes." Came the short reply, which was a small white lie. He had really been standing there for about fifteen minutes.  
  
"Oh.I see."  
  
Just then, Tyson bounced into the room in a blur. Max and Kenny ran in after him. They all seemed a little excited, well with the exception of Tyson who was REALLY excited.  
  
"You guys won't believe this!" Max exclaimed.  
  
"The tournament is delayed for another day! That means we get another day off!!!" Tyson could barely contain himself from jumping around the walls.  
  
"Who says we get a day off?" Kai said coolly.  
  
"Aw! What d'ya mean by that?" Tyson asked  
  
"Seeing that we didn't do much training today, we'll have to make it up tomorrow."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"You can't." mumbled Max after getting over the initial shock.  
  
"Listen! As your captain, you should do as I say. If we are to win this tournament, we are going to practice. Like it or not."  
  
"Awww, come on Kai! We trained so much in advance!" Tyson continued to whine, his words jumbling into nothing but annoying noise.  
  
"How about this." Max's voice took on a passive tone. "If we train REALLY hard tonight, can we have tomorrow off?"  
  
Kai obviously didn't like the idea, but surprisingly waited for the other inputs of his team. Rei was a little taken back at Kai's odd behavior.  
  
"Sure, I don't mind." Rei finally said after thinking about it for a while. He really did need a break, physically and mentally.  
  
"And I could get some time to upgrade Tyson's beyblade." Kenny chirped. Leave it to the chief to say something like that.  
  
Kai sighed in defeat. "You're all a bunch of lazy bums."  
  
"Yeah." Tyson said with a yawn. "I know."  
  
So off they went, practicing vigorously with nothing on their minds but first place.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Later on that night, the blade breakers finally decided it was time to call it a night.  
  
"I get the bed nearest to the window!" Tyson called as soon as they arrived to their room.  
  
"Hey no fair! You got it yesterday." Max cried as he and Tyson raced for the window bed. Both reached their destination about the same time, so Tyson came up with a better way of determining who'd get dominance over the territory. He quickly grabbed the pillow and flung it towards Max's direction. Unfortunately, Tyson's aim was off.big time. The pillow smartly struck a tired Rei. He, being the only one who practice the most that day, was slightly irritated by this act.  
  
"Okay, you both don't get the bed." Rei said with mock anger that could almost rival Kai's. "It's every person for themselves!" With that, Rei joined the pillow fight for the bed. Kai watched the three boys go at it in silence. He observed Tyson's competitive side took over and Max's determined blows aimed specifically on a certain Japanese boy. What Kai really paid attention to was Rei's happy laughter while gaining the upper edge on the other two boys. It was a nice boyish laugh that Kai wouldn't mind hearing for a long time. Wait a minute. Kai thought Rei's laughter was nice?!?!?! 'WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING??? Better yet, what am I feeling?' Kai didn't know what he felt for Rei. Rei was just a teammate. Nothing MORE and nothing less. Finally, when Rei had Tyson and Max in a pile on the ground, he announced himself the "King" of the bed ((Me: .clean all evil thoughts ppl!!! Cuz I know I have to.-_-; I'm such a perv. Duo: YOU BET YOU ARE!! Me: Oh shut up!! You're suppose to help me!)).  
  
"You guys mind quieting down?" Kenny called from the other room. "I'm trying to work here!"  
  
"What do you mean YOU'RE working here? I'm the one who's doing the work!!!!" Dizzy cried, starting the light bantering between computer and boy.  
  
Sometime in the middle of the night, Rei got out of bed. Being with the White Tigers taught him how to be stealthy, so he didn't wake anyone in the process. He cast a weary eye on his teammates, having different thoughts for each. This team was so much different from his old one. In the White Tigers, everyone was so serious about beyblading. Here, Beyblading wasn't the only thing on their minds. Have fun too! That was what Rei learned with his short time as a Blade Breaker. His eyes first lay upon Tyson. Tyson was a very interesting character. He seems so outgoing and energetic all the time, but could be so strong, impulsive, and lucky in battle; just like a dragon. Next person he looked at was Max. Max is a very reasonable and cheerful person in Rei's eyes. He could always rely on Max to keep Tyson from getting into too much trouble. The next bed to Max was empty. Rei made a small sigh. He knew Kenny was going to put an all-nighter again. 'Doesn't that kid ever sleep?' Finally, his eyes rested upon Kai. Kai was.well.He's so cold to everyone, but could it be that he is totally opposite in the inside? Rei didn't know. Okay, so he had to admit that Kai was cute. EXTREMELY cute. Thus a growing crush began forming somewhere in Rei's heart. And okay, Rei already admitted to himself a long time ago that he was gay. He had this crush on Kai since he met him. But he was almost sure that this won't grow into something more like last time.This was partly the reason he got out of bed. He needed to meditate on his feelings. Quietly he went out of the room, not disturbing anyone.  
  
Kai watched everything. Even though he was on the very opposite side of the room, Kai could see Rei as if he were sleeping in the bed beside Rei. He watched how the moonlight bathed Rei's form in a luminous light. He watched how his hair fell gracefully about his face and where his bandana should be. Kai didn't know why he just watched his teammate, but he had a hunch that it was a forming crush on the boy. The more he thought about it, Rei was the only one in his group that he felt connected to. He didn't know why he felt so connected. Maybe it's because they both spent most of their lives training vigorously for one purpose; to be the best. But many other people did the very same thing. What makes Rei so different? Was it the mutual understanding that those who keep to themselves share? Or was it the way his eyes hold so much passion when he beyblades? Or was it.was it something unexplainable but wonderful at the same time? Like.Love? His eyes grew wide as he slowly became aware what he was thinking. ((Me: Kai's kinda slow, I guess.-_-;)) 'Holy shit.' He thought. ' I'm GAY!!' This horrified Kai to no end. He, the captain of the blade breakers, the leader of team Japan, could possibly be gay! If his grandfather ever found out.Kai closed his eyes as possible outcomes of events his grandfather could do to him if he ever found out. After a few minutes, Kai finally came to the conclusion that he could NOT be gay. He needed to be perfect. He HAD to be perfect. Being gay was just. not right.right?  
  
The first step get out of this.er.predicament, Kai would have to stop admiring his teammate. Kai cracked open an eyelid to look at Rei.Fat chance he'll ever stop staring at him. 'Damn! His looks are too good for his own good.' There is no way he could stop looking at the guy. Kai mentally sighed in defeat. He was fighting in a loosing battle, and he knew it. Okay, maybe he like Rei.a lot. nobody needed to know right? Rei's eyes suddenly fluttered open, freaking Kai out real bad. Luckily Kai's eyes were only cracked open so he could watch the Chinese boy without fear.hopefully.  
  
He watched Rei gaze at all the occupants of the room one by one. He also noted how Rei's eyes rested on him a little longer. For a moment, Kai was sure Rei knew he was awake. Soon afterwards, Rei left the room; as silent as a cat. Kai debated if he should follow his teammate. After a painfully long debate inside his head, Kai listened to his curiosity and crept out of the room too.  
  
*********************************  
  
Rei came to the same place he lost his bit beast. Maybe his bit beast would come back and help him with his confused mind. He sat there for a while before sensing another's presence in the shadows.  
  
"You can quit hiding in the shadows and come out." Rei spoke at the same time pondering who could it be.  
  
Out came Kevin from the White Tigers. He had a sheepish look on his face as he walked toward his former friend and comrade. Rei's insides began to knot together with each step the shorter boy took  
  
"Hey Rei." Kevin said neutrally.  
  
"What do you want now, Kevin? You want to destroy my blade as well?" Rei asked bitterly.  
  
"Naw, I was actually taking a walk, then I saw you."  
  
".I don't believe you."  
  
".You're right." Kevin admitted a little hesitantly. " I came here to apologize for yesterday.OnlybecauseMariahyelledatmetodoso!!  
  
".So you're not sorry then."  
  
"No I'm not! Of course I'm not!!!" came the harsh reply. "Do you think I would be? I really did look up to you, and you know that. Then you had to bring everything I ever knew to pieces when you left us!!" His eyes blazed with hurt and pain. "Do you know what you did to me the day you left?"  
  
~~~~~~~Flash back ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rei couldn't take it anymore. It confused and tormented him to no end. He was in love with his best friend. Lee. Rei loved Lee for what seemed like forever, but Lee wasn't like him. Oh no. Lee was straight. And he was in love with Mariah. But Mariah only loved him. Rei hated being different. He hated being gay. Life wasn't easy on him because of it. The elders always thought homosexuals were like people who had a contagious disease. The same thought is passed down during the generations, so practically everyone in the village thought so too. Rei thought that his love for Lee was the only problem he had to deal with. Boy was he wrong.  
  
And now, he's been feeling the same way about Kevin as he does Lee!! Yes, Kevin. Kevin admired and idolized Rei like a boy does his Big Brother. At first, Rei was nothing but happy to play "Big Brother". Kevin would go all out in his unique way to try to gain respect and friendship with him. It worked too. maybe a little too well. Rei slowly began to admire some of the little things about Kevin. Like how his eyes always light up when he beat someone in a battle or how he would try to cover up when he was caught snooping around or how he saved a special smile just for Rei whenever Rei complimented on his skills. And the fact that Kevin wasn't exactly an eye sore added to the infatuation. It was just a little crush at first. Then it turned into something that rivaled what he felt for Lee. The problem was that Kevin only has eyes for Mariah!! Yet again Mariah took the eyes of Rei's affections. And Rei couldn't hate her because she was a great friend. She was almost like a sister to him. Argh!! This was so stupid and so twisted!!! Rei could handle the emotional confusion, but barely. And now. now that Lee's grandpa gave Rei Driger. Things were a lot harder.  
  
Lee was VERY jealous that his Grandfather favored his best friend then himself. He was jealous enough to give Rei the cold shoulder whenever he was around. It wasn't like this was going to go on forever or anything. Lee knew that once he got over the green monster, things would go back to normal. Rei, however, could not wait that long. It was too much for him, having the person you had a crush on since you were small angry with you for something that couldn't be helped. But could it have been helped? Rei believed so and blamed himself for the drift. And his infatuation with his two friends grew with each day to the point where he didn't know if he could take it anymore. What was his solution? That was easy.he had to leave.  
  
He was on the road leading away from the village. He couldn't tell his former team in words, so he just left a note. Rei was a good distance away from his home when he noticed a small, green-haired, boy blocking the road. Sure enough, it was Kevin.  
  
"Why?" was the one word Kevin whispered. He had found the note a while ago and raced ahead to find Rei. Kevin was in a state of disbelief and had to find out for himself if Rei was actually leaving. Now he was in a stated of angry, betrayal, and hurt.  
  
"." Rei couldn't say anything. This way was perfect. He could leave Mariah this way without having to tell her that he was gay. This way, he could run away from his feelings. It hurt too much if he stayed. This way, he could run away from all of them.  
  
"You're just going to leave us without a reason. You're just going to leave all your friends in the dust so you can go off for your own selfish reason that you won't even SAY!!!!!" Kevin said hurtfully while his voice went from pianissimo to double forte.  
  
"If I stay here, things would only get worse!" Rei snapped. He couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"What do you mean worse?" Confusion was evident on Kevin's face. " Do you mean Lee and you? Cause if that what this is all about, then let me tell you that Lee will get over it. I'm sure he will. someday."  
  
"No.It's.That's not all. I-I just can't stay with you guys."  
  
"Then what is it? Come on Rei, you know your friends will see ya though thick and thin."  
  
".Not through this." Rei tried to walk past his old friend when he felt a hand grab on to his arm.  
  
"You can't go!" the smaller boy sobbed into the taller boy's arm. "You just can't do this to me!!! You're apart of the White Tigers, that means we all stick together. By leaving, y-you're practically branding yourself as a. traitor. And you can't leave. You're my Dai-goh. My bigger brother. ((a/n: No ppl, Kevin and Rei are not related!! I'm talking about a brother in a friendship sense when one friend is the older, wiser one)) I'm suppose to look up to you. If you leave. then who am I to confine in!? .Why are you leaving, Rei? Why?"  
  
"Listen, Kevin." Rei said with a distant look gazing out toward the road. "I-I'll tell you why I'm leaving, but you have to let me leave. And I'm sure you won't like what you're going to hear."  
  
"THEN DON'T TELL ME!!" Kevin cried as more tears streamed down his face. "I'd do anything to keep you here, for my sake, for Mariah's sake, for everyone's." Then he added quietly, "Mariah will be heart broken if you leave. I don't want to see her like that."  
  
Rei had enough. He couldn't keep all those pent up emotions inside any longer. He let everything out with these words. "Kevin, I'm GAY!! So I don't love Mariah. Not like that!! And that's partly why I'm leaving. I-I can't live a lie any longer! So I'm leaving!!! I have to leave the White Tigers." His eyes brimmed with unshed tears as he admitted everything to one of his closes friends.  
  
Kevin was in shock. His skin, which was normally a nice tan color turned into a sickly pale color. He just found out that his perfect idol wasn't so perfect after all. And it hurt. God, it hurt. Everything he'd ever done was for Rei, hoping that someday he would be just as good, just as strong, just as great as Rei. Now he found out something that disturbed him to no end. His perfect big brother was gay. Kevin was always taught that homosexuals were like weird freaks of nature. But then again, he never listen to his elders much. He knew that some of the old ways weren't the right way, but it still scared him how his friend became so 'different'. It all came down on him so quick.so fast.  
  
"You're gay!" Kevin blurted out. He tried to say more, but he couldn't translate what he was feeling into words. It just wasn't working for him.  
  
"I'd understand if you think I'm a freak. Isn't that what we're all taught?" Rei's voice sounded bitter even to himself.  
  
"Who?" Kevin managed to gasp out. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know why! .At first it was Lee. It still is. But now.There's also someone else now." Rei trailed off. He wasn't sure if he could tell him or not. He was already on the verge of an emotional break down.  
  
All Kevin could do is stare straight at Rei. Rei loved Lee! The thought was too weird for Kevin. Then again, this whole thing was too weird for Kevin. He silently cursed tradition for making his mind so narrow.Wait a minute, Rei said there was another. Then who.  
  
Rei studied Kevin as he tried to comprehend what he just said. He knew it would be a long time until he would see him again, so he decided to engrave in the boy's image into his memory. First he memorized his friend's forest green hair. He secretly liked the way it covered one of his eyes, making him seem more attractive and mysterious. Next he took in the rest of his body. Even though Kevin was very small for his age, he certainly made up with his quick thinking and extremely agile body. The last thing Rei admired was his deep violet eyes. It was the most beautiful part of Kevin, in Rei's mind. They were like endless pools of purple that Rei could get lost in. They would glint with mischief when Kevin was spying, and gleam when he won a battle. Rei was subconscious that Kevin was staring back at him with a confused expression on his face and he was growing closer by the second.  
  
Kevin was getting really nervous as Rei got closer and closer. It wasn't until they were five millimeters apart till Rei told Kevin a secret that would change everything forever.  
  
"The other person is you." he whispered. With that, Rei gave Kevin his first kiss. It was soft and sweet, yet it spoke volumes on Rei's behalf. Rei felt like he was in heaven. Kevin's moist, soft lips felt unlike any kiss he ever had before. Kevin felt like jelly. No one EVER kissed him before. And he never even thought his first kiss would be from a boy. It felt-it felt..it felt really.good. How can kissing a boy feel good? No matter how much Kevin tried to convince himself otherwise, it was a fact that he enjoyed the feeling of Rei's warm lips upon his. What was wrong with him!!  
  
Reluctantly, Rei pulled back, knowing full well that he could never go back to friendship with this particular boy ever again. "Goodbye, Kevin." With one last look at the shocked boy, Rei ran from his past, his friends, his home, and loved ones.  
  
~~~~~~~ End Flashback ~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You made me question who I am. You made me confused beyond belief! And you still do!! I hate you for that. I hate you for making me become like you! I hate you for making me gay." Kevin shuddered as he paused in his outburst.  
  
"I wanted to be just like you. Now I want to be nothing like you. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. I'm still striving to be like you. I'm trying to improve my skills as a bayblader, and no matter how much I tell myself that I'm not doing this because of you, I still am. And I hate you for that." There was a moment of silence before Kevin said the last of his speech.  
  
"I hate the way you hurt all of us, ditching us so suddenly. You hurt Mariah a lot you know. I still love her, despite what you did to me. Though, I'll never be able to love her like I use to, not thanks to you. Did you know you hurt Lee more than any of us? Losing his best friend was worse than his grandpa choosing you over him any day."  
  
Rei was shocked. He knew that leaving them so long ago would hurt everyone, but he never thought that it would hurt them that much. And Lee. he never knew that.all this talk about his past stirred compressed emotions that were long since forgotten. Yes, Rei made sure that while he was out creating a new life without the White Tigers, he would forget everything he ever felt for them. And now, when his life finally seemed on track, his past just HAD to sneak up on him again. "I'm sorry." Rei mumbled whole- heartedly. "I-I."  
  
"Save it. You're a traitor. There's nothing to it." Kevin said bitterly.  
  
"Kevin."  
  
"FOR THE LAST TIME, SAVE IT!!!! I-I looked up to you!! Now look where it got me. Look at where it got all of us! It's all your fault!" Tears were now spilling from Kevin's amethyst eyes. He had been holding so much hatred, so much fear, so many different types of emotions for so long. Only now did he let it all out, after so much time had passed.  
  
"Please Kevin! I-"  
  
"SHUT UP!!" Kevin couldn't take it anymore. He ran, like the devil was on his heels.  
  
Rei watched the retreating form grow smaller and smaller. A single tear of his own slid down his cheek as emotions long since buried resurfaced. God, what was he to do? He was never supposed to see any of them ever again. He spent many days forcing himself to forget. It worked too. For a long while, Rei lived life without thought of his emotional past. He slowly started to accept himself. But his past caught up with him. And now. Things were even more screwed up. What did he feel now? It was so long ago. Now he had other dilemmas to figure out, one namely Kai. Rei didn't know what he felt about him.  
  
Rei sighed. This tournament was not going to be easy on him. Quickly deciding that he needed sleep, Rei spun around to head back to his room. However, the next thing he saw scared the pants off him. Right in front of him was Kai. Kai, looking even more pale in the moonlight then ever. Kai with staring at him with red/brown eyes that seemed to glow.accusingly? It was true. Kai's expression seemed like he was accusing Rei of his crimes.  
  
"Perhaps you would like to tell me what that was all about." Kai's voice was cold. Very cold.  
  
"Well.I.uh.h-how long.what d-did you see?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
'Crap.'  
  
"So are you going to tell me?"  
  
Rei sighed. He was going to have to tell Kai everything. Rei wasn't sure if he could, but he felt numb enough right now. It wasn't like this could get any worse. So Rei prepared Kai for a long story of how he left the White Tigers. Rei kept a close eye on Kai, hoping that history won't repeat itself with his new friends. If it did, Rei wouldn't know if he could walk away this time.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Flower_on_thewind: I'm not done yet.and I won't be for a long time.  
  
Duo: That's because you don't know what to do!!  
  
Flower_on_thewind: For once, you're right Duo.I don't know if I should make this a Kai/Rei or a Kevin/Rei!!  
  
Duo: So she's basically begging for your help  
  
Flower_on_thewind: *sigh* right again, Duo.  
  
Duo: .Don't mind her.she's kinda depressed cuz she doesn't have a clue what to do next chapter..R&R please!! 


	2. A Wish Upon A Star Kevin's Ending

Flower_on_thewind: Hi everyone!!! I have the second chapter out!!!! And before we start, I just want to say thanks to those who reviewed and those who considered the Rei/Kevin parring. I've added up all the votes, including ones from my friends out of fanfiction.net, and the results are…A DRAW!!!! (Note: for those of you who couldn't decide, I put you with Kevin because you guys actually considered the Rei/Kevin paring. Good for you guys for being so open minded!!!)  So, I'm going to have 2 different endings!!!

Wufei: *Yawns* OH Pleeeeease don't bore us with you're yappin like last time… Last time, you were so boring that some "people " decided not to read your story!!! Duo didn't even want to help you this time!!! That's why I'M stuck with the job!!!

Flower_on_thewind: T_____T y-you don't have to r-remind me…*cries* 

Wufei: *scoffs* weak onna…

Flower_on_thewind: *gets angry* Male chauvinist

Wufei: Pathetic excuse for an author!!! 

Flower_on_thewind : O_O EXCUSE ME!?!?!?!?!?! 

Wufei: You heard me!! You write so descriptively that it confuses and bores the reader!!! 

Duo: *pops out of nowhere* Yeah! It made me REALLY bored!!!!! ^_____^

Flower_on_thewind & Wufei: DUO!!!!

Duo: *looks at scroll bar* Whoa!! What did you do girl? Swallow those Energizer batteries? 

Flower_on_thewind: *blushes* Erm….no. I just couldn't help myself!!!!!!!!!! I just kept going and going and going… I couldn't stop!!!!!!! ^_____^

Wufei/Duo: -________-; 

Duo: Riiiiiiiight…

Flower_on_thewind: um………yeah, ANYWAYS, this is Kevin's ending… So please ppl, give this coupling a try!!! It's unique!! ~_^; And there IS a hinting of Tyson/Kai at the end!!!!!

Duo: We hope you enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblades…I don't even have a beyblade of my own!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wish upon a star:

Kevin's story.

Kai didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he could comfort Rei. And Rei was in a _lot of pain. Tears slid down his face silently as they tried desperately to wash away all the bad memories. It hurt. And Rei didn't want to hurt like before. He made that painfully clear to Kai when he told him his emotional story._

 All these emotions were new to Kai. And he couldn't lie to Rei, telling him that everything was okay. Truthfully, Kai didn't know if it was all going to be okay. Rei's past had a mind of it's own, and Kai couldn't control that. And besides, no one ever told Kai that it was okay when he needed it most. Even though all these small reasons flew through Kai's head, one reason stood above all: Kai didn't know _how do comfort Rei._

"Kai?" Rei didn't know what his friend thought of him now. Kai was just starring off into space with no expression evident. Rei didn't know if it was because Kai was shocked because one of his teammates was different, or he was silent in disgust. "…Please say something."  

Kai couldn't. He couldn't say anything he wanted to say. He really wanted to comfort him, to tell him how he felt, and that everything was going to be okay, but he didn't know if he could make that leap. Kai was never good in the ways of emotions. He was afraid of emotions. He was afraid to get hurt, like Rei did. It was like a leap of courage, and Kai didn't know if he could make the leap. Unlike Rei, Kai didn't think he would be able to face rejection like that and have the will to live. Love could be a very painful thing and Kai didn't know if he could ever face that pain.

"Kai?" Rei was almost pleading this time. He didn't like the silence. Silence could mean so many things. So many horrible things… It also made rejection harder to bear.

"…We should go back to the others." Kai stated coldly. Maybe tomorrow, he would muster enough courage to take that leap. But not today… Everything happened too fast today. Tomorrow maybe, but not today. 

"…You're right…Max might wake up and find us both missing." Rei agreed, trying to hide the hurt from Kai's words. Yes, Kai's words stung Rei. And it hurt a lot. Rei felt like he would always hurt. Kai's coldness only added to the pain. **_'Not any more.' His eyes narrowed slightly.  Rei had enough of hurting. He didn't _****_want to hurt anymore_****. No more. Rei was so tired of being miserable. He was tired of hurting himself; he was tired of hurting others! He needed to change…for the better. And he knew that it had to start with the past. Rei was going to make sure his life doesn't turn out to be a big mistake.…and to make sure of that……… his mixed feelings for Kai would have to wait….**

***********************************************

Kevin ran as fast as his legs would carry him. The tears that had begun to fall during the confrontation with Rei still fell. He ran and ran until he bumped into someone. Kevin promptly fell on his butt, head still facing the ground.

"Kevin?" Mariah's voice was filled with concern. 

Kevin quickly brushed away his tears and stood up to face his first ever crush. "Yeah what? Why are you still up?"

"Well……I was wondering if you apologized yet."

"Yeah, well I did. And I hope you're happy now." Kevin's voice was so bitter Mariah had to take a step back from him. After some observation, Mariah noticed the tear marks on Kevin's cheek.

"What happened?" She asked while pointing at the tear marks. 

"Nothing." Kevin said harshly before heading towards their lodging. 

"Wait, Kevin!! Don't go. Tell me what happened when you apologized! You can tell me."

" It's nothing! It's just, seeing that traitor again gets me angry every time I have to look at him."

"Kevin……… You know that deep inside… the same Rei who was once our friend before is still there. He'll always be there, no matter what!"

"Ha!!! Mariah, he'll never be like before!! Not before he left! Not like we use to know him."

"If you would give him a chance, then you'll see, Kevin. On the mountain, the one I found him alone training at, I could still see glimpse of that boy who use to be our friend. A-A White Tiger!! I know he's still in there…. Somewhere… He'll always be our friend! Deep in the heart, I know he'll always be." 

Kevin stood for a moment. _'He'll always be our friend. Deep in the heart, I know he'll always will be.' Could he Rei ever be their friend again? Ha! Of course not!……… At least, not with him………._

"I hate him." Kevin's face was covered in shadows. If Mariah were any closer, she would have been able to see how close to tears he really was. Thankfully, she didn't notice. What she did notice was how passionately he said those three words. 

"Oh, Kevin………" Mariah looked at Kevin with sad eyes. If only he would give Rei a chance… "Don't hate him. If there's one thing that I hate next to a snoop, it's someone who hates to forgive."

Kevin only answered Mariah in silence. _'Ha! Oh Mariah, if you only knew what he did to me… It's not that I hate to forgive people…It's more of an "I don't WANT to forgive him" thing.'  _

"Come on…It's really late." Mariah mumbled. She was very tired and from the looks of it so was Kevin. He seemed to be swaying on the spot! _'Poor kid.' She thought. She mentally shook her head. If Kevin heard her say that, she would be hearing an ear-full. No matter how many times she told herself that Kevin was about same age as her, she always saw him as a little kid (Probably due to his small height). _

Kevin was kind of glad that the next day was a free day. He really needed to vent out all the anger. Tomorrow would be a good day to do just that. 

********************************************************

The next day, Rei got up earlier than everyone else. He didn't wake up at an ungodly hour. In fact, pretty much his whole team slept in! Kai slept in because he stayed up so late worrying. Tyson, because he that's what he does, and Max because he had to endure Tyson's incredibly loud snoring!! Rei, on the other hand, woke up early by tormenting dreams of a future he would never want. A future all alone.

 Since today was basically a rest day, Rei decided to walk around. It was a great distraction from his very troubled mind. After a couple of battles with other competitors, Rei thought that perhaps it would be wise not to show his awesome power incase other competitors took advantage by watching his technique.  Wandering out of the tower, Rei found himself enjoying a leisurely walk in the forested area around the tower. It was a nice place, full of vibrant and colorful wildlife. It was very calming and peaceful. Nobody was around, so Rei finally felt some peace after a very emotional and stressful day the day before. 

Rei suddenly heard noises in the distance. Curious, Rei followed the sounds until he found a clearing with someone unsuspecting within it.

*******************************************

Kevin had left the White Tiger's early that morning. He woke up feeling very bitter and frustrated. He needed to release his emotions somehow, and thought of the best way to do it. Seeing that he was the stealthiest person on the entire White Tiger team, sneaking out without waking everybody was a piece of cake. It was one of the only qualities he was proud of. This was one quality he was better at then Rei, and he prided himself with it. He headed towards a clearing he found once by running away from a kid whom he pilfered from. If there was one thing that helped Kevin cool off, it was practicing his martial arts. It was something he really enjoyed, but wasn't the best at. What the best thing about martial arts was that you could vent all your anger into the form, and improve your skills at the same time. 

Once there, Kevin started with some warm ups. This part was pretty short because he wanted to go over the movements as soon as possible. Starting at a slow pace, Kevin started executing slow, precise movements with spirit. Slowly, the movements became faster, more powerful, and more fantastic as the tempo of the dance increased. Pretty soon, Kevin was lost in the dance of his tradition, doing extravagant moves that would aw any audience. He poured all his anger, frustrations, and confusions into every punch, kick, and jump. He soon started to feel more relaxed after the climax of the dance passed. Before he even knew what he was doing, Kevin launched himself into a butterfly kick. He promptly stumbled and fell upon the landing, throwing him back into reality. He hated that kick!! He could never complete it. No matter how hard he tried, or how long he practiced. 

"Hey, you okay?"

That voice…

Kevin quickly got up and spun around to face the intruder he knew so well. "What d'ya want Rei?" He sneered.

"Er………Hi, Kevin…" Rei mumbled. This was the chance to make things right again. It wasn't fair what he did to Kevin. The least he could do was heal the scars he gave him, even if that meant facing all these old feelings he got whenever he was around him. 

"What the hell are you doing here? Trying to inflict more damage?" Kevin's voice was so venomous that Rei almost decided to change his mind and walk away. _'No more running!'_

"I was actually taking a walk." 

"T'ch. Yeah right. And I'm a monkey in a dress." Kevin spat.

"…I see you still having trouble with the butterfly kick…" Rei said, trying to change the subject…

_'The butterfly kick………'_

~~~~~Flash back ~~~~~

"HAH!" Lee executed a perfect round house before jumping into a fast pace butterfly.

"Wow, Lee, that was so cool!" a younger Kevin exclaimed. Lee failed to suppress a delighted grin. Lee had been working really hard to try and perfect the butterfly kick. Now he was just as good as the older kids, and Rei wasn't too far behind. 

"You better watch out, Lee, cuz I'm going to be just as good as you." Rei said with his pride inflating like a balloon.

"Yeah, right!!! I'm way ahead of you!" Lee comically stuck his nose _really high into the air, causing Kevin to burst out laughing and Rei to snicker. _

"Hey, Lee!!" a little Mariah called in the distance. " You're mom's looking for ya!" 

Lee blushed a bit before replying, "Yeah, okay!" He gave a glance at his other two friends. "I'll catch you guys later. Maybe we could have a battle with our beyblades!"

"Okay! It'll be fun watching you two fight!" Kevin piped up.

With that, Lee went off to see his mother. Kevin looked to Rei who was still watching Lee in the distance. 

"Hey, Rei…" Kevin asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, what?" Rei replied, snapping back to reality. 

"Can you teach me that butterfly kick?" He gave Rei hopeful chibi eyes that no one in the village could resist. They were so full of hope and childlike innocence. Big violet orbs that could sparkle full of mischief and happiness. 

"Sure thing, Kevin!" 

"OH, thank you, Dai goh!!!!" Kevin gave Rei a really BIG hug before jumping around in glee. Rei smirked at the younger boy's antics before explaining the movements.

After showing Kevin a couple of times, Rei made Kevin try the flashy kick. At first, Kevin totally chickened out before he was about to launch himself in the air; thus he tripped over his feet. He was a bit discouraged, but kept on trying nonetheless. After a few more tries, Kevin stomped about, very frustrated with himself. 

" I can't do this!!!"

Sympathy etched into Rei's eyes as Kevin continued to express his frustrations. "Don't worry, Kevin. If you practice, you'll get it!"

"Really Rei?" Kevin's eyes grew hopeful once more.

"Really." 

~~~~~~~ End flash back~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what? What do you care what I can and cannot do? I'm just one of your "old" friends. The ones that don't matter anymore cuz you've got new ones."

"Kevin, it's not like that! Just give me a chance to explain." Rei cried. _'If only Kevin would listen!'_

"My ass it's not!" Having his former idol so close brought all these angry emotions that Kevin couldn't possibly put a finger on. All he knew was if he stayed, he would explode! 

"I don't need this right now!" Kevin spat. He couldn't take it. So, the green haired boy ran. He ran from the whirlpool of his emotions…just like his idol.

"Kevin wait!" Rei couldn't leave Kevin like this. The short conversation made it obviously clear how bitter he made his friend. Rei ran after him as fast as his long legs would carry. 

Kevin ran as fast as he could. He could hear Rei calling out to him. Knowing full well that Rei's long legs would enable him to catch him in no time, Kevin started to panic. 

"Kevin, just stop!! Please!!!"  He was gaining…

"Just leave me alone!!" Kevin felt desperate.

"KEVIN!!" Rei was too close!!! only a few yards away………

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" he cried. That's it!! …There was only one way out. Kevin jumped really high onto a tree and being the monkey he was, stealthily hid in the leaves. He knew his talent would be useful in times like this. 

"Kevin!! Where are you!?!?!" Everything fell dead silent. Rei scanned the area for any traces of Kevin but found nothing. _'Damn his stupid sneaking abilities!!!!' Rei felt really desperate. His eyes darted whipped everywhere. He couldn't let Kevin slip through his fingers like that, not until he made things right! _

"Kevin!!" His voice dripped with despair. If he didn't make up for all he did soon… Rei didn't know how to go about life. He couldn't live knowing how much he hurt one of his childhood friends. Small tears slid down his cheek. 

"Please Kevin, I-I just want to make things better…like the way it use to be………Kevin, I-I'm _really sorry…for everything……… a-and I-I know that…that I can't change the past, but I want to do something to make up for it." Rei slumped pitifully to the ground. He meant everything he said with every inch of his soul. _

"Do………Do you really mean that?" a small voice said above him. Rei looked up to see Kevin sitting on a branch, staring intently at his boots. 

"Yes." Rei said the word as if it were a sacred thing. 

"But… you already know things would never be…like they use to be." Kevin's voice cracked around a large lump in his throat. 

"No, Kevin…maybe not exactly…but something close to it." There was a bit of silence between the two boys. Neither knew what to say.

"I hate you." Kevin finally said. He curled into a little ball on the branch. Finally, he gave into his fear after so long…

Those three words stung Rei like no words ever stung him before. It was so full of accusations that it was almost unbearable to hear. 

"I was so scared… especially when you were gone." Kevin's voice was barely a whisper. "I never told anyone the real reason you left…and I never told anyone what happened… It-it was…I-I felt……… so alone………"

"Kevin…"

"W-Was that…was that how you felt?" for the first time since the two started talking, Kevin looked at Rei. His eyes could be described as a lost little boy's. 

"…Yes. I felt very alone. Especially when everyone in the village would think of you as a freak. " 

"Then you know…"

"How it feels? …yes." There was a silence between the two.

"Then how do we make things go back to the way it use to be?" Kevin finally said. He couldn't look at Rei again. It was still a little too painful. 

"Well…" Rei thought for a while. "I………We could pretend." 

Kevin's expression became very confused. _'Pretend?' "What? I don't understand…"_

"Just for today. Why don't we pretend like it was before? Just the two of us." This was the best Rei could do at the moment. He really hoped Kevin would accept this small offering to make up for what he had done. He never knew that Kevin had to go through what he did. Not until last night. 

"I miss the way it use to be." Kevin relieved his body slightly from the curled position he was in earlier. "Everything was so much more simple and less confusing."

"Then how about today we pretend it was just like before the day I left?" 

"…" 

Rei waited patiently for the answer. It was nerve racking! The apprehension in the air turned so thick that Rei could've cut it with a knife. 

"…I guess that would be nice." Kevin said a little hesitantly. Rei's heart burst with happiness. This was the first shaky step to regaining something almost lost. 

"Then come on! I want to help you with the butterfly kick!" Rei was grinning like a fool. He couldn't help it! It's not everyday someone who hated your guts agreed with you to do something fun. It felt kinda like…like winning a battle. 

"Oh no!!!" Kevin replied shaking his head. "I gave up on that kick a looong time ago. I'm not going to spend hours falling on my face!"

"Oh come on! This time we'll get it right." Rei felt the tension between him and Kevin slowly fade away. 

"This is really going to hurt…" Kevin mumbled as he climbed down from the tree in record time.

"How the heck can you climb those trees like that?" 

Kevin shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's something to do with the bit beast and it's blader."

Rei just raised an eyebrow at the answer.

They made their way back to the clearing with a bit of light bantering over who had the weirdest teammate. It was as if all the nasty things that had been done or said didn't even happen. Kevin was so into the conversation, that he momentarily forgot how much he hated the person he was talking to.

"Come on! Gary can eat horses and can still be hungry. That's not just weird, that's just scary!!"

"That's totally normal compared to Tyson's appetite! Back in Hong Kong, Tyson ate so much that my boss was ready to throw him out! And nobody his weirder than Kenny. I have a hunch that he's in love with his bit beast!"

" His computer!?!?! UGH!! That's unwanted information, Rei! I've heard that some people love their computers, but I've never heard of them being _in love with their computers." _

"Let's see you top that!"

"Ummm……… Oh I KNOW!!! Did you know that Gary dreams about naked hot dogs? No really! And don't give me that look, Rei. I've heard him talk in his sleep! He said something about naked hot dogs are so sexy that they made the chicken legs look like school girls." By the end of the last sentence, Kevin was in hysterical laughter.

"NAKED HOT DOGS!?!?! What the hell!? How the hell am I suppose the beat that?" Rei had to stop walking because he was laughing so hard. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Rei wondered when was the last time he acted so carefree. 

Upon arrival, both boys were still chuckling about a certain person who thought naked hot dogs were sexy. Kevin's face suddenly grew sad.

"Do I have to practice the stupid kick?" Kevin asked. He really didn't want to practice it, even though everyone, including Gary, can do it. 

"Aw, come on Kevin! By the way you can jump around, I'm surprised that you haven't mastered it yet. I'm sure you can do it."

"………Really?" Kevin looked up towards Rei as he did when he was younger.

"Really." For a moment, it almost seemed they went back into time when they both were younger. Rei was yet again reassuring Kevin in his older brother sort of way and Kevin was yet again looking at Rei with trusting eyes of a younger boy. The moment was broken when Kevin looked away from Rei. 

"Well then, here goes nothing…" 

And so Kevin tried and tried again, every time falling flat onto the ground. Every time he fell, Rei would make sure Kevin got back up and try again some more.

"GAH!!" Kevin yet again fell. "THAT'S IT!! I'm not going to keep pummeling myself like this!"

"Don't give up Kevin!" Rei watched the younger boy give up yet again. Silently, he revised every move his old friend made. The movement was perfect up until the point of jumping…he moved fast enough to gain enough momentum to complete the jump. Then why… "Kevin, can you try one more time? I just want to figure out why you can't do it. I mean, the start is perfect, but I just can't pinpoint the exact point you need help on."

Kevin gave Rei one pissed off glare before getting up. "Rei, do you _like_  seeing me eat dirt? Cuz if you do, I swear, you have one sick problem." 

Rei gave a short laugh. "Naw, I don't like to see you falling every time, but I think I almost figured out why you can't complete the kick…"

Kevin grumbled a bit before preparing himself for another attempt. Quickly, he ran to gain speed before twisting around to jump. For a fleeting moment, Kevin's determined eyes flickered with doubt as he hesitated. Then he jumped, having his legs fly horizontally from the ground. He already met the ground when he was going to bring his feet down to the ground for a landing. 

"OWWW!!!! ERK!!! Not again!!" Kevin groaned. He looked to Rei to tell him what he done wrong. 

Rei, who was watching intently, saw the moment of hesitation. It was the moment before the jump. That was the point that needed to be corrected. Rei momentarily remembered the time when Kevin tried the kick for the first time………

~~~~ flash back ~~~~~

_After showing Kevin a couple of times, Rei made Kevin try the flashy kick. At first, Kevin chickened out when he was about to launch himself in the air and tripped over his feet. He felt a bit discouraged, but kept on trying nonetheless. After a few more tries, Kevin stomped about, very frustrated with himself. _

~~~ End flash back ~~~

Even then, Kevin was afraid of the jump… why didn't he figure that out sooner?

"I've got it."

"Then what is it?" he snapped. Kevin was all ears, too frustrated to say any more. 

"It's just before you jump. You kinda hesitate before jumping. So you're holding back some of the momentum that you gain before set up for your jump." Rei explained to the best of his abilities. 

Kevin let Rei's words sink in…now that he thought of it, he did slow down before the jump… he always did. It was automatic, weather he liked it or not. Somewhere deep down, he was afraid of falling. And for some reason or another, he always falls down. 

"You're right…I guess it's kinda like…well…I suppose I was always afraid of the jump." Kevin said sheepishly.

"Well, there isn't really anything to be afraid of… The jump is sorta like………a leap." 

"A leap?"

"Yeah, a leap." Rei wasn't so sure where he was going to go with this comparison… but he decided to go with it anyways. " It's like leaping over a hole. You're afraid of leaping it because you don't know what's down there…" '_kinda like love………' _

"But you have to get over the uncertainty, or else you'll never get across…" _'Like when I was uncertain about how to handle my feelings, and I thought running away was the way to solve it. But now I know that I have to face them in order to move on…'_

_ "…So you jump anyways, only focusing on getting across instead of focusing on what might be underneath you." __'I'm focusing on my goal now. And my goal now is to make things right between me and Kevin' _

"Whoa… I never knew you could explain things so well…" Kevin stared at his former idol in awe. What Rei said made sense, unlike whatever Lee tried to tell him when he explained things. 

Rei blushed a bit. "It wasn't really anything…Why don't you try the jump one last time. I know that you can do it this time."

"Er………okay." Kevin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His eyes were hard and determined. He never felt so determined to do this jump before. Not since Rei first showed him how it's done. Kevin made a dash for a couple of steps before twisting his body to prepare himself for the jump. _'I can do this. I know I can do this! Because…' He put all his weight on his take off foot. __'I'M NOT AFRAID!' Without a moment's hesitation, Kevin jumped off the ground and swung his legs in a graceful kick high in the air. Having jumped so high up, Kevin had more than enough time to land in a graceful, catlike way. _

"YOU DID IT!!!" Rei cried as he ran over to his friend's side. 

"Holy crap! I DID IT!!!!!" Kevin laughed before tackling his idol and now teacher in a great big hug. "After all these years!!!" Rei laughed with his friend. He was really proud of Kevin.

"You actually did it!! After so long! And now Lee and those guys don't get to bug you about it."

"I know, I know!! Ha ha, I FINALLY DID THE BUTTERFLY KICK!!!! And it's all thanks to you!" Kevin didn't even know what he was doing. He was so clouded with happiness, he wasn't even aware that he was basically glomping Rei. But Rei wasn't complaining. In fact, he wasn't only happy for his friend, he was happy that Kevin set aside his hatred and showed the same affections he showed Rei when he was younger. "I don't believe this, Rei!" Kevin hugged Rei even tighter causing Rei to blush a bit. Rei had to resist the urge to hug him back. He didn't want Kevin to get any ideas…

"Whoops! Sorry." Kevin said sheepishly when he realized that he was hugging the very person whom he announced he hated. Quickly, he pulled away and gave Rei some breathing space. "I got a little carried away. Sorry about that."

                "It's no big deal." 

"I still don't believe it…" Kevin said with an awestruck voice. 

"You did it." Rei assured the smaller boy. A slow yet big grin graced the younger boy's lips. 

"This is so cool!! I really don't know how to repay you _Dai- I mean Rei." Kevin caught himself before he called Rei by his childhood pet name. _

"Kevin…I don't mind you calling me _Dai goh. I didn't mind when I was younger, and I still don't mind right now." Rei gave Kevin a sheepish smile. " I actually kinda miss it."_

Kevin cocked his head to the side. He was so confused. Here was the guy that he swore he hated and yet, he couldn't stop himself from smiling at him. It was like all those days of feeling alienated and alone was nothing compared to the happy, carefree moments he was having now. He spent days remembering a far away happiness of fitting in. He spent nights blaming Rei for what he's done to him. And now…it all seemed so far away. What happened to the hatred and the bitterness? It was like they disappeared into thin air. Why did it just suddenly go away just by spending some hours with Rei?

Rei laughed at Kevin's confused face. It wasn't exactly childlike, but it was defiantly cute. Kevin was always cute when he was younger. But now, Kevin is…well he was still cute, but he was also more daring, sarcastic, teasing, and even at times a little mysterious………

"What's so funny?" Kevin's face became even more confused than before. 

"Your face." Rei said without thinking. He immediately regretted saying that after. 

"And what's wrong with my face?" Kevin asked a little angry at the rude answer.

Rei didn't answer right away. He was too busy looking at the face that he fell in love with so long ago……… "Nothing's wrong with your face. It's just… perfect." He said a little dazed.

Kevin blushed a little at the comment. "Erm………Yeah … r-right." They sat in comfortable silence. Rei was mostly staring at Kevin, while Kevin tried to concentrate on looking at the ground. Every once a while, Kevin would glance up to see Rei staring at him. It made him uncomfortable and delighted at the same time. Ever since he was small, Kevin tried his hardest to get Rei's attention. Now, it seemed almost unreal that Rei's attention was all on him. But the way Rei was looking at him made him kind of nervous. He was never looked at before. Not like this. 

"Why are you staring at me?" The question caused Rei to blush. He got a little carried away while staring. He didn't regret it though. 

"Sorry Kevin, I sorta dazed out." _'What a big fat lie…' _

It's okay…Hey! Let's have a battle! I really need to work on my skills." Kevin knew he was pushing it…after all, the last time they battled, Rei's bit beast left him. And it was all because of him.

"Sure. I don't mind." Rei was more than happy to get off the subject of his starring. They found an interesting shaped stump, which resembled something like a stadium in which they could use. Both put on determined expressions.

"You ready Kevin? This time, I won't hold back."

"You're on." 

Each positioned their beyblade in the ready position. Soon afterwards, the countdown began.

                                "3" Tension grew between the two bladers. 

                                "2" Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly, his full concentration was on the up coming battle.

                "1" Rei's eyes turned to slits, much like a tiger's. He wasn't going to go easy on Kevin.

"LET IT RIIIIIIIP!!!" both beybladers launched their beyblades with heavy anticipation. Each beyblade spun around the rim, circling each other before meeting in the middle in one mighty clash. Rei's Driger, which was more powerful than Kevin's Galmon seemed to gain the upper hand. Kevin gritted his teeth when he saw this. Silently, he commanded his beyblade to retreat a little before circling around Driger. Rei was curious upon what Kevin was about to do. So he left his Driger in the middle of the stump.

"Come on, Galmon." Kevin muttered. "Crazy monkey attack!" with that, Kevin's beyblade became five, each one beyblading in every which way. Rei didn't even bother to keep track of the real Galmon. 

"Really, Kevin. You have to do better than that to beat me."

Kevin gave Rei a small smirk. He was going to use his secret attack that he was saving for the final round in the tournament. Now was as good a time then any to reveal the attack. He made his blades form a circle around Rei's Driger. Each top spun, waiting for their signal.

_'What are you up to…' Rei thought. He decided to see what was this new attack that Kevin seemed to be planning. Knowing Kevin, he would use this attack in later battles. _

Kevin gave Rei a toothy grin. "Big mistake for letting me get into position, Rei. Now you'll get to see my new attack! CIRCLE OF DEATH!!!" With that, all the doppelgangers (including the real blade) charged at Driger in a crisscrossing style. Rei momentarily thought he was in trouble until he spotted an opening between two of Kevin's blades. He made Driger charge into the opening, knocking the two doppelgangers away. 

"Nice move, Kevin. But it won't save you from my TIGER CLAW ATTACK!!" Rei's Driger began to bulldoze all Kevin's doppelgangers until he hit the real Galmon. Galmon flew high into the air in what Kevin felt like was slow motion. As soon as his beyblade struck the ground, Kevin's face went from absolute horror to discourage defeat. 

"Aw, Man! My beyblade!" Kevin quickly went to nursing his defeated beyblade.

"Good battle, Kevin. I almost thought you had me when all of your doppelgangers came after me." 

"Yeah, I thought I had you too." Kevin quickly pocketed his beyblade. It was a little scratched, but that's nothing new. Kevin looked up to see Rei picking up his beyblade. His hair whipped around his face when he did, causing Kevin to blush a little as unbidden thoughts came to mind. Quickly, Kevin got a grip on himself and made sure that thoughts like those wouldn't come often.

"So what do you want to do now?" Kevin asked before collapsing onto the ground to rest. Waking early, having an emotional out break, falling on your face for a couple of hours, and a battle sure took a lot out of you. Especially if you hardly had any sleep the night before. 

"I don't know…" Rei said before catching the sleepiness in Kevin's eyes. "How about we just talk for a while."

"Okay." Kevin wasn't going to complain to that. It sure beat sniffing dirt all day. He got more comfortable by lying on the ground instead of just sitting on it. 

"You tired?" Rei asked before sitting down next to him, but still facing the younger boy. 

"No………well, maybe a little bit…" confessed Kevin.

"…Then should we head back?"

"NO!" Kevin bolted back up with newfound energy. " Of course not!!! I mean………Not yet! I-I just don't…I don't want this to end yet." He spoke the last part softly while glaring at his boots.

"…Neither do I. It was kinda fun today." Rei said with a sad grin.

"Yeah…It was just like before, excluding the others." There was a pause of silence. "I really liked today." Kevin whispered, still not staring up from his boots. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"I wish…" Rei began before thinking it through. "I wish today would never end. Today was like…A dream come true. I'd never thought that I would have fun with you ever again."

"It felt a lot like before. Back when I would call you _Dai goh and would follow you everywhere." Kevin grinned a bit at the memories. _

"You can still call me _Dai goh. I already told you that. I………I guess I really…missed you." Rei said everything from his heart. It didn't seem like much, but everything he said was true. _

"…I missed you too." Kevin finally conjured the guts to look Rei in the eye. Piercing amber eyes met deep violet ones. "I miss calling you Dai goh, I miss following you around…I even miss the way you use to look at Lee while I was talking to you."

"So you noticed that back then, huh." Rei mumbled looking away. He was kind of ashamed that he ignored his younger friend like that when he was younger. 

"Heh, I use to get so angry when you were somewhere else while I tried to get your attention." Kevin admitted goodheartedly. "It was like I was competing with an invisible ghost!! You'd be staring off into space while I was practically standing on my head trying to get you to notice me!" Rei burst out laughing at his younger friend's sarcastic comment. It quickly went away with the next few words he said. 

"I'm sorry that I didn't give you the attention then, but now, I'm willing to give you every second I have to make up for what I've done." Kevin suddenly sat very still when he went over his friend's words. A thought just came to him, one that he didn't like. 

"Rei…you shouldn't have said that when you know you can't." Kevin said a little darkly.

                "Why not? I meant it." Rei said honestly. Kevin was starting to sound very mysterious especially with that dark tone. A small shiver went down Rei's spine………

"Rei……… Listen, I-I just realized that tomorrow……… Tomorrow I will have to go back to hating you."

"But why!? Today-"

"Today was just pretend. Remember? That was exactly what you said." Kevin curled himself into a ball for the second time that day. He hated the cold truth of reality…he wanted to stay in this little clearing and pretend with Rei forever. 

"NO!" Rei cried furiously. "Today wasn't just pretend! Didn't you feel it? It was _real. And I won't let you go back to being miserably alone again." A tear slid from Rei's blazing amber eye followed by a few more. Today was perfect…like a perfect dream. And it was real, wasn't it? It couldn't have all been a dream, it just couldn't! _

"Rei, why you're making it so hard to go back? …I …if this keeps up, I don't think I would be strong enough to go back and then have to face you with the rest of the White Tigers…I don't think………I……I'm not strong enough to be alone again!!"

 Kevin was already crying silent tears when Rei gave his heartfelt speech. Now his small body was shook with violent sobs. It was a pitiful sight that Rei didn't like. So Rei did the first thing that came to mind. He pulled his smaller friend into a comforting embrace. Kevin didn't know what to do, so he just let Rei hug him until his tears went away. It felt really nice being held by Rei. Kevin would admit that much. Rei was so warm, and Kevin was so tired, he could have fallen asleep right there.

Rei really enjoyed having Kevin so close to him yet again. This time, he allowed himself to hold onto Kevin as tightly as he dared. It was so comfortable, Rei absently thought he was in some sort of heaven. Just him and Kevin in their own little world. But like most things, the embrace came to an end. Kevin pulled away and wiped the rest of his tears away all the while never looking up at Rei. He would have stayed longer in the embrace, but he didn't want to accidentally fall asleep in Rei's arms. That would be a little too embarrassing.

"Sorry, Rei. I keep forgetting that boys don't cry. I shouldn't have ruined the day………" Kevin said a little dryly.  

Rei didn't know what to say. He didn't wan this day to end like this…definitely not like this. So many things happened today. It was as though the gods above gave Rei the chance to fall in love with Kevin all over again. And fall in love he did. His little crush on Kai was nothing but a little crush. It wasn't the same steady love he felt for Kevin. 

This time, he didn't only fall in love with the cute, innocent little boy who always tagged along. This time, he also fell in love with a sarcastic, street-smart boy who survived an emotional onslaught of confusion, betrayal, and pain yet kept the little boy alive throughout it all. Kevin was a mix of these two. He seemed like a harden street rat who saw everything bitter in order to keep strong and yet all he was inside was a small boy who didn't know what was right and what was wrong anymore. Rei needed to say something to show how much he cared for Kevin, but didn't know how. So, he listened to his heart…

"Kevin…… I want you to know that after today you're not won't be alone. I want you to know that you'd always be my……my friend no matter what. You know that, right?" 

"…I guess…… I know that now…" 

Kevin was way too tired to think. The whole situation was just too weird. If you'd ask him if he saw Rei as a friend yesterday, he would have ranted about how he hated the traitor. It's amazing on how a few hours can change an entire year. Kevin's eyes began to feel like lead, but he forced them to be wide awake. He wanted to pretend a little more before becoming the midget beyblader again. Before he even knew it, he was leaning against Rei! He suppose he was more tired then he thought.

Rei supported his smaller friend. Kevin was obviously forcing himself to stay awake. He took this time to watch the smaller boy knowing full well that he won't be able to tomorrow.

"Why are staring at me again?" Rei's constant staring was making Kevin feel a bit weird.

Rei laughed at Kevin's bluntness. "Well, I don't get to see you very often." 

"Tch. You get to see me everyday since the tournament started."

"Yeah, but I don't get to see my friend whom use to call me _Dai goh. I hardly ever saw the real you since the day I left." _

"Rei." Kevin said in a serious tone. " Enough with the melodramatics. There's still a lot of time before dark!! I really would like to enjoy some peace and quiet, thank you!"

"But Kevin-" 

"Rei." Kevin gave Rei a sleepy, one eyed, mock glare. " Do I need to make you eat dirt? It'll be perfect revenge for making me learn the kick." 

"I doubt you'll be able to make me, but I'll shut up, just for the little baby."

"Rei!! I'm just as old as you are!!!! Just because I'm kind of short-" 

"Kind of short?" Rei interrupted teasingly. Kevin became REALLY angry. If there was one thing he hated most was how people like to make fun of his height.

"Thaaaat's it!" Kevin, with some kind of newfound energy twisted around and tackled Rei. He tried to pin Rei so that his face would be "eating dirt" as Kevin would call it. Unfortunately, Rei, who was much bigger and stronger, literally flicked the little midget away and pinned him to the ground. Thus, in this position, Rei promptly began his merciless tickle attacks upon Kevin.

"Let's see who's making who eat dirt now!" Rei taunted. 

Kevin was dying of laughter. "STOP IT REI!!! Hahahaha!!!" Kevin started to beg piteously to Rei. "Ahahaha!!! I swear, when-hehehehe- when you let me go, I'm going to-HAHAHAHA going to-EEEEEEEKKKK!!!!  I SWEAR I'M GOING TO CHEW YOUR HAIR OFF!!!! TEE HEE HEE!!! NO, STOP!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease stop it!!!! _DAI GOH!!!! " _

Finally, Rei decided he had enough punishment. Both backed off from each other to allow some breathing space. Each was red in the face from laughter. Kevin, because he was being tickled, and Rei because some of the hilarious curses Kevin shouted. 

"Y-you're going to- to ahahahaha!!! You were g-going to _chew m-my hair off!?!?!?!?!?" Rei couldn't get the image of Kevin trying to bite his longer portion of hair with his teeth._

"Oh, shut up!! If I'm angry enough, I will!" Kevin bared his teeth and growled for good measure. His cheeks were rosy and he was panting ever so slightly…Er…that was unneeded description right there. Rei decided he liked Kevin's new humor. It sure wasn't there before he left. 

"HAHAHAHA" Rei couldn't help but laugh at a growling, teeth baring, angry Kevin. It was way too funny. 

Kevin watched as Rei laughed. His solid, determined expression was no where to be seen and in it's place was a soft, happy expression he remembered when he was younger. But this happy expression was a little bit more different. It was certainly more handsome and intriguing to look at. Kevin was spellbound to watch. 

"I'd like to see that, someday." Rei finally said as he calmed down. 

"That someday could be real soon." Kevin muttered. He looked up at the sky and saw how late it really was. The sun was already setting. That means the day was almost over…

" I remember." He whispered, getting Rei's attention. "The time when Lee gave Mariah a kiss during sunset. I was really angry when I saw it." He gave a glance at Rei who had a confused expression. "It was during the time you were so sick that your mom only allowed the doctor near and no one else. Mariah was so angry at Lee that she beat the crap out of him." Kevin gave a bit of a laugh. "I'm glad it wasn't me." 

"So that's why he was covered in bruises when I saw him after I got better. I always wondered what happened…" Rei gave a small laugh before he glanced at Kevin who was admiring the sunset. The orange and red lit the younger boy's face in a warm, loving way. 

"Has anyone ever loved you? Minus the day I left, I mean." Rei said quickly.

Kevin blushed. No one ever asked him something like that. It felt very weird and embarrassing. He never really talked about crushes or love with anyone. And he never known anyone to like him like that except for Rei. Then again, that small confession from Rei was so short and so long ago, Kevin wasn't even sure if it counted. 

"No. Nobody ever saw me like that." Kevin muttered quietly. He quickly ducked his head, wishing the green hair that was hiding half of his face would hide the other half as well. 

"Not even a girl back in the village?" Rei asked incredulous. He was sure that at least _someone would like Kevin._

Kevin blushed even harder. "Neither guy OR girl ever thought of me like that." The orange glow from the now fading sun made Kevin's blush a little less noticeable. Kevin was glad of that. 

"I don't believe that." Rei said a little too harshly. "You're beautiful!" Rei blushed as soon as he said that. He got a little carried away there. But it was true. Rei thought that Kevin was beautiful, inside and out. 

Kevin was blushing furiously. No one ever called him beautiful before. Heck, all he heard about him was how cute and childish he was. Anything else was how annoying and bratty he was. Never beautiful. 

"I'm not beautiful. If I was, people would say so. And besides, they're too busy yelling at me for stealing something." He let a small, grim smile grace his face. Kevin reeeeeally didn't know where this subject was leading to, but for some reason his heart speed up a few notches. 

"They're all idiots." Rei confirmed .

"T'yeah right. Listen, Rei. I appreciate you trying to flatter me, but what you're saying is faaaaaaar from the truth." Kevin said while shaking his head. "For one thing, as much as I hate to admit it, I AM a little too short for my age. For another thing, I'm nothing to look at. If I was, SOMEBODY would have at least said something. And another thing is that I'm a ……Well, I'm weired. No thanks to you." His cheeks were still very red and he didn't know if they could take any more punishment. 

"I'm serious Kevin. They're all idiots! You're totally perfect. And you are definitely something to look at. Trust me." Rei blushed a bit after realizing that he basically told Kevin that he was attracted to him.

Kevin was too embarrassed to reply. Getting these kinds of compliments from somebody who looked better than drop dead gorgeous did that to you. They shared a bit of silence with each other as the last of the sun's rays went down and the first star of the night shone brightly like never before.

Rei glanced at Kevin who was observing the sky again. He looked very dark and mysterious in the shadows of the twilight night. He watched as the younger boy stared into the night sky. He noticed also Kevin's quick glances towards him resulted in slight blushes in the boy's face. Rei grinned at that. He kind of liked that affect on Kevin. Not only did it make Kevin seem more adorable, it made him feel special in that just his mere presence can do that to him. Why it made Kevin blush, he did not know………maybe it was the fact that he was staring again………

"Hey, Rei. Do you see that bright star right there?" Kevin said while pointing to a very bright star in the dark sky. He needed to distract Rei from his staring. Yes, it did make him feel special with all the attention, but Rei's intense eyes never leaving him was a little too much for Kevin. He didn't know if he would explode from the nice, fluttery feeling he was getting from it, or blush until his face turned purple. 

"Yeah, what about it?"

"It was the first star in the sky." Kevin explained. Every night, he made sure he saw the first star in the sky. He never told anyone this, but he really did like the stars. It filled him with wonders of what could possible be out there when he was back in the village. 

"It's very bright." Rei commented. He saw Kevin gaze at them like they were the most beautiful things that ever existed.

"I've always kept a look out for the first star………you know, my grandma told me that if you wish upon the first star in the sky, it would come true." Kevin gave a small smile to the stars. "For some reason, I always believe that story." 

Rei looked up at the stars once more. He never knew Kevin loved the stars so much. Not even when they were younger. He was way too busy chasing after Lee to have notice. Rei regretted that.

"Why don't you make a wish?" Rei suggested to Kevin.

"A wish?" Kevin looked at Rei as if he said something weird. That look quickly soften to a sad, distant expression. "The last time I made a wish was……… was the day you left." 

Rei grew silent. He could only guess what Kevin had wished for, but he had a hunch.

"Well, make a wish now. I'll make one too, if you want me too." 

Kevin's eyes perked up like way back when he and Rei were younger. 

"Okay, I'll make a wish only if you make one." So it was in agreement. Kevin looked up to the sky to gaze at the first star one last time before closing his eyes to make the wish. Rei watched as the luminous light from the moon shone upon Kevin's features making him look something like a being from the heavens. For a moment, Kevin looked like he was praying and that someone from above sent him their blessings with pure light. Rei drank in the image before closing his own eyes to make a wish. 

_'I wish that today would never end. So everything that happened today was real, and not for the sake of pretending. I wish that tomorrow, Kevin wouldn't hate me, but treat me the same way he treated me all day today.'_

When Rei opened his eyes, he saw that Kevin had already finish his wish. For some reason, or another, Kevin was staring at him with the most intense look in his eyes………something that resembled purple fire. It was gone an instant later when Kevin looked away. Neither said anything in the next few minutes. They didn't know what to say. Finally Rei's mouth decided that he would attempt a conversation.

"So…er…this may seem a bit odd………but I've been wondering if you liked anyone, or not." Juuust great. Of all the things that could have popped out of his mouth, this is what he got. 

Kevin blushed. "Erm…nobody really." __

For some reason, Rei's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. He didn't let it show though. No, his face was neutral.  "Not even Mariah?" 

Kevin gave Rei a small smile. "I use to, when I was smaller. Remember? I gave her flowers for her birthday, but it made her noise get red and swollen. Hey, I didn't know she was allergic to them!!!" He put his hands up to show his innocence. "Hee, hee. I got beat up real bad the next day."

"I remember that!! You ran to hide in the washroom and tried to flush yourself in the toilet!!"

Kevin gave a small giggle. "Yep. Hey, I didn't know where the stuff in the toilet goes. It just went………down. I thought it would take me away from her!"

"It's a good thing I stopped you before you jumped in! Can't have you getting stuck down _there." Rei said good-humouredly. _

"Yep…that was a huge crush………" Kevin muttered.

"…Last night, you said you still-" began Rei.

"Love her? Yep. She's the best big sister anyone could ever have. When you were gone, she kinda took over the empty big sibling spot." He gave a sheepish grin. "You're still the best thought."

Rei blushed deeply. "What about…guys?"

Kevin blushed a darker shade than Rei. "Well………when we set the quest to find you, there were some nice looking guys………but we never stayed in one spot to get to know a lot of people." Rei's heart dropped to his stomach. He kind of wished that Kevin would have given a little hint that he liked him …wishful thinking………

Rei noted how Kevin fidgeted nervously while he answered. Rei suppose Kevin was still a little bit uncomfortable with the subject. He looked to the sky and sighed when he saw how high the moon was. He looked back at Kevin who looked very sleepy. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Well, he did……… he just forgot. 

"We have to go back." Rei stated. Kevin began to whine. He only resorted to whining if he really needed to. At the moment, all logic said to go back. 

"I wish that this could last forever." Kevin said suddenly. He was now leaning against Rei because he was too tired to sit up straight. 

"Me too…Hey Kevin?" 

"Uh huh?" Kevin was too sleepy to create normal words.

"The day I left…what did you wish for?  
  


This question jolted Kevin awake once again. He didn't know if he should tell Rei or not… might as well…it didn't look like he would ever have the chance again. 

"…I had wished that……… that one day, you would return at make things right again." Kevin said in a tone that was barely above a whisper.

Rei was speechless. Had Kevin really wish for him to return? Even after what he did on his last day? 

"My wish came true, Rei. You made things right again…even if it's just for one day. You still made it right. And somehow, even though I hated you for so long, I knew deep down that you would come to me and make things right. All-all because I wished on the first star." Kevin had that awestruck catch in his voice. He looked directly at Rei who looked straight back at him. 

Suddenly, Rei felt the same urge to draw closer to Kevin like the day he left. He couldn't fight it and he certainly didn't _want to fight it. It was like fate was trying to push him toward Kevin. Toward the forest green hair, the perfectly well shaped face, and most certainly the deep violet eyes. Rei drew close toward Kevin until they were a hair's breath away from each other. Kevin didn't seem to mind. In fact, his heart was racing a million miles per hour. He felt intoxicated. He had dreams of his first kiss. About how nice Rei's lips felt upon his. Over the long period of time, Kevin's heart secretly yearned for the kiss again, no matter what Kevin's mind said. _

Finally, Rei couldn't take being so close, yet so far. He felt like he was being teased in the most aggravating way possible. He closed the gap with a sweet, demanding kiss. Kevin knew exactly what Rei was about to do, yet it still felt so surreal touching other's lips. They were so soft and warm……… It was even more fantastic than he remembered!! It felt like………like flying into the night's sky towards the stars!! Kevin seemed to melt into Rei when he finally mustered enough courage to kiss back. Rei was seeing the stars when he felt Kevin kiss back. His heart leapt for joy. He instinctively pulled the smaller boy closer from the waist. Being so close to each was certainly an experience neither would forget.

 Unfortunately, both needed to come back down from the stars and retrieve something called oxygen. When they parted, each was blushing so deeply that they could have been mistaken for tomatoes. 

"Why?…" Kevin asked breathlessly. Kevin never, in a million years, would have thought that Rei would kiss him again. It felt so wonderful, having Rei so close. He distinctly noticed that Rei still held him by the waist and didn't seem to want to let go any time soon.

_'Why?' Rei mentally repeated. __'Why did I kiss you? Why did I leap over the unknown hole and kiss you? I'm not sure… but I think my answer is because………' Rei lent closer towards Kevin's ear. _

"I still love you." Rei said breathlessly while holding on to a now shocked Kevin. He pulled back to say the rest of his confessions to Kevin's face. He was going to make sure that he was totally honest to Kevin, and do himself.

"When I left, I tried so desperately to forget you and the White Tigers. I wanted-I wanted to run away from all the confusion a-and the p-pain that I felt. You understand that-that _pain of being alone. It was terrible! But even though I tried to forget you all, and it was so difficult trying. Soon, my feelings for Lee faded away until it was a faraway memory. But you… You were different. It was so much harder trying to forget you than it was with Lee. Now that I think about it…I think you were the hardest to forget about. I didn't know why then…but I do now. " Rei  gazed intently into Kevin's eyes. _

"It was because I love you." His confession was so full of passion; it made Kevin feel all these different emotions that rammed through his entire body. It made him want to sing for joy, it made him want to jump onto Rei and cry onto his chest like there's no tomorrow. It made his heart pump blood in his ears and made his stomach flutter every which way. Why did a simple confession do this to Kevin?

It was because he was in love too. Yes, he was very in love with Rei. He tried to drown it in hate because he was so confused with his emotions. But now, just being with Rei made things seem a lot more clearer. He spent so many days blaming him when really he was just too confused with his feelings to understand what they really were. It was love all along, and Kevin only now realized this. Rei was so many things to Kevin. He was the person he looked up to, the person whom he idolized, the person who gave him his first kiss, the person that he hated for a long time. He was his hero, his _dai goh, his friend…his lover?_

Rei was getting worried. Kevin still hadn't gotten over the initial shock of the kiss. His eyes were dilated in a far away gaze. He was breathing abnormally fast, and his mouth opened and closed a little. Rei could only assume the worst but still clung to a glimmer of hope. If Kevin didn't say yes, Rei was sure he was going to die right on the spot. He didn't know if he could handle this kind of rejection. But Kevin had kissed him back!! That had to have meant something! That hope grew dimmer and dimmer as Kevin took longer to come out of his state. 

Finally, Kevin's eyes came back to focus and stared hard into Rei's eye; looking for something. What that something was, Rei did not know. Then it dawned to him that Kevin was going to reject him. Sadness and despair enveloped him; taking him whole. Yet some part of him still clenched that tiny sparkle of hope. He had to hear it from Kevin's own voice.

"Kevin, do you-" Rei was cut off by Kevin's moist lips. This kiss was more passionate, more desperate, more of everything they both wanted. Rei almost died when he felt something wet run along his bottom lip. He gasp in surprise, allowing Kevin entrance into his mouth. Tongues moved in an exotic dance, making both Kevin and Rei 's blood grow hotter with time. To Rei, Kevin tasted sweet with a bit of spice; the perfect mixture. To Kevin, Rei tasted like an exotic drink he never tasted before. It was addicting. When the kiss ended, each still felt the pounding of their hearts that were beating in perfect time; fast, and wild. 

"Does that answer your question, Rei?" Kevin asked breathlessly. His appearance was devilish, and his cheeks were blazing red. 

Rei blushed deeper than Kevin. "In more ways then one." This comment made Kevin giggle a bit. No one ever made Rei feel like that before. It was truly amazing!! But now…he had to wonder………

"W-who taught you how to kiss l-like that?" the question made Kevin blush deeper if that were even possible. 

"Well, nobody. I've only been kissed by one person." Was the shy reply. Kevin knew that last kiss clearly had an affect on Rei. He kinda like that effect it had on him………

"I-I  still don't believe you………" Rei was clearly speechless. Thus causing Kevin to laugh out loud. Correction, Kevin LOVED the effect his kiss had on Rei. 

"I see that you REALLY like it.…" Kevin said slyly. This made Rei even more uncomfortable, but he laughed nonetheless. 

"You bet." They gazed at each other for awhile longer.

"I love you."

"I love you too."  

Kevin was REALLY sleepy now. He was basically swaying on his feet! Rei wasn't sure if he would be able to walk back to the tower. It was really late now, and he was sure both the blade breakers and the White Tigers were worried. Maybe even blaming each other. 

"Come on, Kevin, we really have to go back now." With out protest, Kevin found himself being piggybacked on Rei. He felt content being carried away by his newfound lover. They made their way through the forest in the dark. Rei noticed how light Kevin was. He wasn't sure if it was normal to be that light and was kind of worried.

"Gee, Kevin. You really need to eat more."

"Oh, SHUT UP!!" came the annoyed mumble.

"No, I'm serious. You're lighter than my beyblade!" 

"Hey!! Don't piss me off when I'm half asleep!" Kevin growled halfheartedly. 

"Or what? You're gonna chew off my hair?" Rei chuckled a bit.

"One more smart comment like that and I will!" 

"Oh, so you have enough energy to chew off my hair, but you don't have the energy to walk. What a lazy butt you are!" Rei was enjoying the bantering. It was kind of refreshing. 

"You asked for it!" Kevin muttered before clamping his teeth about five millimeters away from the roots of Rei's ponytail. Rei stopped in his tracks. He certainly did not expect that! It came as a shock; a blissful shock. It sent adrenaline coursing though his body, especially towards one spot of his body……… Kevin started to growl chew his hair ever so lightly making matters worse………or better ^_^;. A small noise emitted from the back of Rei's throat when he felt Kevin's hot breath blow upon his scalp. His arms slacked causing Kevin to tighten his legs around Rei's waste to keep him up. This was way too much for Rei.

"Kevin………" Rei growled low and barely controlled, causing Kevin to stop what he was doing. 

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" Kevin was very confused. What the heck was Rei talking about?

"No, why?" He shifted his position slightly, thus his leg brushed against something warm and very hard. This caused both boys to blush deeply.

"Oh…"Kevin said stunned and surprised. He didn't know he could do something like that to someone. 

"Next time you do that, make sure I'm sitting down." Rei muttered.  Kevin secretly couldn't wait for that next time. He liked it when he drove Rei out of control like that. It made him feel like he was the only one who could make Rei loose his cool. It made him feel special………

"Until next time then." Kevin murmured before setting his head upon Rei's shoulder.

_'Why the hell did I say next time!?!?!?!' Rei asked himself.__ 'If there is a next time, I would probably lose my head!' His mind wandered off a bit causing his already hot face to grow hotter. __'Or maybe all pure thoughts I've ever had…'_

Rei continued to walk on towards the tower with a faint blush still gracing his cheeks. During the trek, Kevin had fallen into a light asleep with a content smile on his face. Rei didn't mind, Kevin being asleep. He looked real tired all day. Rei was glad the smaller boy was finally asleep with a happy smile. It assured him that his new lover was defiantly happy. 

When Rei neared the road, which took them straight towards the tower, he gently woke Kevin up. He needed to clear some things up with him. 

"Mmhmm?" Kevin mumbled while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

"Hey Kevin, I just want to clear something up with you before we head back." Kevin was all ears. By the sounds of it, what Rei needed to say was pretty serious.

"I just want you to know that when we get back, we're going to have to pretend to hate each other. I don't know how you feel about that, but I want you to know that today was defiantly real, and that I love you." Rei kept an eye on Kevin's facial expression. It was blank; obviously taking it's time to go from dreamland. 

"………I'm okay with that. But…to make things believable, I will have to insult you and act the way I use to." Kevin's voice was very sad, his eyes hard. Suddenly, his eyes turned soft and his voice barely a whisper. "But I want you to know that I love you, Rei. And no matter what I say or how much I pretend, I will always love you……… Will we ever be able to live life real, and not pretend?" His voice turned to a scared little boy's.

"One day will. I'm sure of it." Rei said determinedly. "I wished on the star today, and I'm sure that one day, we'll be able to live life like today."

Kevin's expression slowly turned from sad and oppressive to hopeful and happy.

"Did you really wish that?"

"Yep. Today was the best day of my life! Of course I would wish that." Rei said. 

Kevin's eyes turned a bit misty. "I hope that one day will be soon………" He took a shuddering deep breath. "Today, I wished for everyone to be happy like how we were today; like how we were when we were smaller. And when I mean everyone, I meant White Tigers and Blade Breakers alike. I really hope that wish will come true too…"

"I'm sure it will." Rei said before putting a determined face on. "Are you ready to pretend?"

Kevin's eyes soften to a sad look. "Not just yet…" He gave Rei one last kiss for the night. It was quick, yet sweet. His eyes were still closed when he pulled back. Kevin opened them with a sigh.

"Okay, now I'm ready." Rei nodded before picking Kevin up to carry him back to the world they know that's full of pain and confusion.  A world that is full of harsh, narrow-minded people who made their lives miserable

In the shadows, Kai watched the two lovers retreat back to the tower. His eyes were an icy cold brown. He and the other Blade Breakers were all out looking for their missing teammate. He had been gone all day and it worried them all. Kai had spotted them when Rei stepped out of the forest. He was curious to why Kevin was on his back. So instead of making his presence known, he watched. And now, he wished he hadn't. 

Kai spent the entire day summoning the courage to tell Rei exactly how he felt. He convinced himself that the moment he found Rei, he would take the leap and jump. It seemed that fate was against him this time. 

"Who needs emotions?" Was the cold, unfeeling question he asked himself. It was a distraction from perfection. Yesterday, he might have been too blind to see it, but today, it was as clear as water that it wasn't needed. He pulled his newly frozen mask back on to his face, but it seemed to still have the cracks Rei inflicted upon him for Kai had the most pain filled expression on his face. 

Suddenly, he heard a rustle behind him. He spun around to see Tyson come out of a bush. 

"Oh, hey Kai!" Tyson chirped. "Any signs of Rei yet?"

"I saw him head towards the tower in the distance." Kai replied apathetically. 

"Great! Let's go!" 

"Hn." Kai folded his arms and began to head back. They both headed back in silence before Tyson started a conversation.

"Hey Kai, you don't seem as pissed off as usual, what's up?" That was quite true. All day, neither Tyson nor Kai had an argument together. That was very odd to say the least. 

"So what?" was the short reply.

"I don't know." Tyson said while putting his hands behind his head. "It just doesn't seem right."

"Whatever…"

"MAN!! I DON'T GET YOU!!!" Tyson suddenly burst out. Taking Kai by surprise. "How can you do everything so mechanically?!?!?! I'm beginning to wonder if you're even human! You have to do everything with so much perfection!!! What's up with that, huh?"

Kai's eyes narrowed quite a bit. What does Tyson mean "mechanically"? 

"It's what's expected of me. I doubt you'll ever understand that."

"What d'ya mean, 'I doubt you'll ever understand that'?!?!?! I understand that you have to do your best to become the best, but even the best aren't _perfect. Don't you know? There is no such thing as perfection!!! Every thing has a flaw. And what the heck do you mean by 'it's what's expected of me'!?!?! All life's ever expected any of us is to live it!!"_

"Look! You won't ever understand anything!!! You don't have to be expected perfection, and even if there is no such thing as perfection, I'm expected of it all my life!!!" Kai suddenly exploded. He would never know how Tyson had this effect of pissing him off so quickly. Maybe it was because they both were complete opposites………

"Whoa, Kai. Listen to me, THERE.IS.NO.SUCH.THING.AS.PERFECTION!!!!!! And no one expects you to be perfect!!! And even if they do, just don't do it!!"

"You have NO idea how hard in life I worked to get this far. Unlike you, I actually had to _work towards perfection to get this far."_

And who says I don't work too!?!?! And you're forgetting one BIG thing about life, Kai."

"And what might that be?"

"Don'tcha know? Life's all about heart!!" Tyson plastered on a demented but cute nevertheless smile on his face.

"Heart?" Kai was clearly confused. He never heard of that saying before………

"Yeah, your heart! If your heart is in everything you do in life, everything will go just fine!! And when things seem like your heart isn't enough, you just have to learn to pick yourself up and keep on going." Tyson said with a BIG confident smile.

"…That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Kai said popping Tyson's bubble. 

"HEY!!!!" Tyson was fuming mad. You could practically see the steam.

"Putting your heart into everything… That's a loser's motto!"

"IT.IS.NOT!!!!!!!!! Just think about it! You know, as well as the rest of the team, that I can be just as good or even better than you!!!!" Tyson's voice took on a serious tone while Kai's expression turned shocked. This was how this all began………

"If my heart is really into it, and if I become more serious with what I'm doing, I could do anything better than you, and YOU know it. That's why you're always picking on me………and don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about!! I'm a lot smarter than I look. It's something that I picked up from my grandpa. And if there's anything my grandpa taught me is to enjoy life as much as I can. And that's exactly what I'm doing!" 

Kai was shocked. He would NEVER, not in a million years, have thought Tyson could talk so seriously, so………so intelligently like that before. Kai then realized that he was staring. He quickly snapped out of it for prides sake. 

"I've completely underestimated you, Tyson. I must admit that I'm surprise. " Kai said, barely keeping his voice neutral. "But I still think you're an idiot. And your motto is still shits."

"Aww man!!! Come ON!!! Can't you cut me some slack? My motto is da bomb!!" he emphasized what he said by waving his arms around, looking quite comical in the process. "It can be applied anywhere, and I mean ANYWHERE!!! Even………even love!!" Kai's ears perked up without his permission. 

"Yes, it even applies to love! If you pour your heart into what or whom you love, it would make you invincible!! It would allow you to care for that person that you would do anything to protect him/her, and keep you powerful enough to stand through any obstacle life throws at you! It even…It even allows you to make it through if you must face rejection!!! Yep, it would even keep you from hurting from that. As long as you know the person of your affections is happy, you would be happy too. You would be happy that they're happy because-because," Tyson began to grins sheepishly. "I'm not making any sense here, am I?" 

Kai was dazed. Everything that Tyson said………actually made sense!!!!!!  He was amazed how Tyson, no matter how stupid he sounded in the day, could sound so normal and like he knew exactly what he was talking about. When he finally snapped out of it, he noticed Tyson blushing from sheer embarrassment. 

"Actually, you made a lot of sense…" Whoops! How did he let that one slip!?!?!?!

"Really? Well you looked kinda confused there for a while. Love is an emotion of fire, and your bit beast's element is fire. So I thought you kinda knew about the subject more." Tyson was clearly uncomfortable with the subject. 

"Whatever………" Kai didn't want Tyson to know how his word had affected him. Now that he thought about it, a phoenix does symbolize a lot of what he should be. He was totally opposite of his bit beast……or was he? Maybe deep down he was exactly the same as his bit beast. Maybe it was so suppress by his grandfather that he had forgotten that it was even there. And now that met these four boys, those traits have reawaken. In their own way, each of the blade breakers has changed Kai. Rei especially. Rei had reawakened the ability to love someone, even if he didn't know it. And was he going incase himself in his armor of ice and slowly die there again? He gave a glance to Tyson, whose stomach let a reeeeeeally long groan of protest. 

"Erm………sorry about that. I haven't had dinner yet." Tyson let out a forceful laugh to cover his embarrassment. 

Of course not. He was the barer of the phoenix. And one thing about a phoenix was that it always is reborn, stronger, and smarter than the last time. 

"Hey, I'm going to run ahead and get something to eat." Tyson said quickly before sprinting ahead.

And everything about the Phoenix most certainly applied to love as well……

Kai gave a small smile to the retreating form that was running straight towards the China tower………

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Flower_on_thewind: Whew!! All done! ^_____^

Duo: You had Kevin chew on Rei's hair!!!!!!!!

Flower_on_thewind: Yeah so? I couldn't help it!!!!! That image of Kevin biting the guy's hair wouldn't leave me!!!!!!! u_u; 

Duo: On behalf of all ppl who have long hair, I will half to punish you for such actions against us! *takes out sledge hammer and bashes it on flower_on_thewind's head*

Flower_on_thewind: @_@;;;;; ouch.

Wufei: *shrugs* She had it coming.

Duo: ^_^;; Okay everyone, since my friend is unable to do anything but feel pain at the moment, I will have to say the final notes. Upon the arrival of another school year, she won't be able to make Kai's ending just as long. She is also infected with the virus, Writer's block. So she's asking you for ideas. ^_^ how did I do Wu-man?

Wufei: Wha-huh? *looks up from Macho Man Magazine* Oh, you did just fine………O_O WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?!?!?!?!?!?

Duo: Yikes o_O;;; *runs away from angered Wufei*

Flower_on_thewind: Oooookay………So what I'm asking you for are constructive comments, comments, and idea's for Kai's ending. Thank you for your time!!


	3. The Passions of a Phoenix Kai's Ending

Flower_on_thewind: I'm SO sorry everyone!! I've been terribly busy for the last month and something! And I'll apologize in advance for this crappy fic that was strung together in my spare time. And ignore all my grammatical errors. -_-; They are quite embarrassing. Well... enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblades  
  
Warning: Yaoi/ shonen ai. (male/male couplings)  
  
The Passions of a Phoenix: Kai's Ending  
  
Rei finished his tale with a heavy heart. Every time he even thought about his past sent him through fresh emotions that he was just getting over. He cast a darting eye to Kai and waited for his reaction. He could almost see it now.. After Kai comes out of his neutral state, he's going to say something along the lines of "You're pathetic fag and a disgrace to the Bladebreakers". This was NOT going to be easy on his already fragile heart..  
  
Kai's mind was reeling with the information he was just told. Normally, he would have brushed the whole conversation off without giving a monkey's ass to what the other person felt. However, this wasn't just ANYONE. This was Rei!! And Rei is..is. well, he's different from anyone Kai ever met!!! And now Kai was stuck with a choice- to take the leap of courage or to walk the path of solitude.  
  
It was one damn difficult choice-especially to someone who was alienated to the ways of emotions. He never EVER comforted anyone in his entire life. And no one ever comforted him when he needed it most. Kai was lost and needed guidance. He imagined himself at a crossroad, confused and afraid. Somewhere deep in his heart he knew that this was a choice that could change his life. And somewhere even deeper knew that this decision would affect more that just his. His mind screamed to listen to his survival instincts and walk away, but his heart urged him to listen to it just this once and take the leap. He felt torn in two...just like how Rei felt when he made his decision to leave.  
  
Rei was feeling anxiety at it's worst. Possibilities of what Kai's reaction will be grew by the seconds; each more pain filled and devastating then the last. His eyes began to water while Kai just stared at the ground like he was deep in thought. It wasn't just Kai's silence that caused his inner turmoil to rage to an almost unbearable peak, Kevin's confessions stung him more than he would have cared for.  
  
Throughout his story telling, Kevin's words stuck to his head. Repeating over and over again.  
  
~'You made me question who I am. You made me confused beyond belief! And you still do!! I hate you for that. I hate you for making me become like you! Most of all, I hate you for making me gay...'~  
  
No matter how Rei tried to stop hearing Kevin's voice from saying those bitter words, he couldn't. Rei supposed that he did deserve it. He never wanted to hurt Kevin like he did. Hell, he loved him!! And Rei knew that he still does.  
  
Yes, after all those long days of forgetting his past, he never really forgot how much he loved the smaller boy. He felt so guilty for hurting Kevin so much, despite how Kevin claimed that Lee was the one who hurt most of all. Rei knew that if it weren't for him, Kevin could have been happily ignorant of his real reason for leaving...could have been. Those three words were very painful to Rei. It made him think of what it would be like if he wasn't the way he was, if he were normal and liked girls instead. But that wasn't the case. And it pained him to see reality so harshly because of it. He needed to forget-he needed a distraction. Rei needed something that would shield him from the pains of his past, something that stopped the constant pain and loneliness he's been feeling forever. That's where things come back to Kai...  
  
While Rei was dealing with his inner hell, Kai finally came to a resolution. He decided not to fight that stupid nudge that told him to leap. What's the use of fighting yourself anyways? Either way, you get hurt...  
  
Kai raised his eyes to look at Rei. Rei had this far away look that showed his mental torture. Kai's gut clenched when he saw it. Why did it take him so long to decide? He made a quick note to shove his head down a toilet when he gets a chance.  
  
"Rei?" Kai was uncertain how to go about this, but he was going to try and do this the right way. Not the cold, defensive method he usually used.  
  
When Rei didn't respond to Kai's voice, a cold shiver went through him. Could Rei have fallen so deep into his depression that not even Kai could bring him back? Kai quickly gave Rei a concerned shake to make sure he was still okay. The result was Rei giving a surprised yelp while being jolted back to earth.  
  
"Are you okay?" Rei gave his head a bit of a shake to the stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay!!!!!  
  
"I'm fine! Er, sorry about spacing out back there. I got a lot on my mind."  
  
"Hn." There was a bit of an awkward silence. Yep, Kai was doing a BRILLIANT job on his part...  
  
"Um, Kai..." Rei had to ask... the question was eating him alive! "You don't think I'm a freak... right?"  
  
"What'd I car-" Kai caught himself before he accidentally said something he might regret later. "You're not a freak."  
  
Rei's heart did something that felt like a Roller Coaster. It was in suspense for a long time before it dropped to the bottom of his stomach when Kai started his reply. But then it soared when Kai gave his blunt answer to the question. Rei didn't know how to take Kai's unusual. It gave him hope that he wasn't as hated and as abnormal like he thought he was... But then what DID Kai think of him?  
  
Rei must have looked confused because Kai started add to what he said.  
  
"Listen, Rei... It doesn't matter if you're different. The only thing that matters to me is that you're hap- er able to beyblade at you best for this tournament."  
  
'What am I trying to say??' Kai thought while frozen in fear. Was he trying to say he thought of Rei in a more than teammate/friend way? Or was he just saying these things to ensure his teammate played at his very best?  
  
Kai knew that the first option was most likely true. And the knowledge scared the pants off him.  
  
Things were going way too fast-for him and for Rei. The last thing they both needed was something that may complicate things even more... well... that was what Kai thought.  
  
"Let's get back to the room before the others wake up." Kai said stiffly. He really needed to sort out his mind...  
  
Rei just nodded in response. He couldn't find the ability to speak. 'What was Kai going to say?' Rei pondered over the possibilities. He was sure that Kai was going to say something other than his impersonal reason.  
  
Both boys headed towards their temporary living quarters with questions running in and out of their heads.  
  
*************** Kevin ran all the way back to the White Tigers while tears streamed down his cheeks. He stopped when he saw the room. He was sure that if he ran in there crying, the rest of the group would become worried. While brushing away the unwanted tears, Kevin's mind wandered towards the confrontation that happened minutes before.  
  
He shuddered when all the anger and hurt washed upon him ten times more painfully than earlier. How much he hated Rei was immeasurable. He hated the way he made everything seem so easy when they were young. He hated how he turned his world upside down when he left just like that. He hated him for just about everything!! Now he hated Rei for making him loose control like that. All he was going to do was apologize and leave him with some cruel words. But it didn't happen like that.  
  
No, instead he blurted out his inner torment to the very person who caused it!! It was like once he started, he couldn't stop. So much for leaving Rei broken down with pain- look at himself!  
  
Kevin was disgusted for crying in front of Rei. It was Rei who was supposed to be in pain, not him! He was even more disgusted for crying in the first place!  
  
'Boys don't cry...' He reminded himself bitterly.  
  
Once he calmed down and stopped crying, the only thing that was evidence that he was in tears was the slight redness in his eyes. He took one last shuddering breath before turning to the door that held his team.  
  
Kevin didn't even take a step before the door swung open. Lee stalked out of the room with a pissed off expression on his face. It was a moment until Lee saw Kevin in the dark.  
  
"Where the hell were you? Mariah is worried sick!" Lee exploded. It seemed someone needed their beauty sleep...  
  
"I was out "looking" for items." Kevin lied. It wouldn't be very beneficial for Kevin or Mariah if he told Lee the truth.  
  
"You mean stealing." Lee said with the tone of disapproval. He absolutely hated his friend's hobby. It had no honor to it. "You shouldn't steal, it's wrong."  
  
"Not as wrong as leaving your team behind!" Kevin shot back automatically. It seemed that his rising anger hadn't simmered down yet.  
  
Lee's eyes blazed with anger that rivaled Kevin's earlier. Lee was bound to tradition and honor. He THOUGHT that Rei was like that too, but he had thought wrong. He felt like he could never forgive his ex-best friend.  
  
"Rei will pay for ditching us like that." Lee swore to no one in particular.  
  
Kevin only nodded in agreement. There was no way Rei was going to walk away without paying for causing all of those days feeling loss and confused. He was NOT going to walk away while he left his friends in the dust feeling forgotten. There was no way Rei was going to leave Kevin hurt, broken and in love.  
  
!  
  
IN LOVE!?!?!?! Kevin's eyes grew big when that thought skated through his head. There was no way in HELL that he was in love with Rei... He couldn't be!!... ... ... Right?  
  
While Kevin's thoughts where going into overdrive, Lee decided to come to a conclusion about Rei's fate. It had been an ongoing topic within the White Tigers. Mariah wanted to give Rei a second chance, and Gary agreed with her (being a loyal friend to Rei). Kevin and Lee both wanted to give Rei the punishment he deserved (Kevin having another reason other than his betrayal). So it was split, 50/50. Neither side could gain an upper hand in the debate. But with Lee the leader, the decision was falling more and more upon his judgment.  
  
"Rei will no longer be accepted as a White Tiger." Lee said stated with finality ringing in his voice. "When all of this ends, and all of us goes home, Rei won't be coming with us."  
  
Kevin's heart should have leapt in joy, but it didn't. Instead in hung low in his stomach, like the thin strings that were holding it up suddenly snapped with Lee's words. Kevin didn't like the way he was acting all of a sudden. It went against every word he said- and he always kept his word.  
  
"That's fine with me Lee. It's not like I want to live with a traitor in the neighborhood anyway." Kevin said with an indifferent shrug. He still had a reputation he couldn't discard in front of his friends.  
  
"Rei is going to regret ever leaving us. Not when I'm through with him" Lee said with such malice that Kevin shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Kevin." Lee said like he just remembered something that wasn't really important to him. "I'm glad that you got rid of Rei's bit beast. It's a good job on your part." He ruffled Kevin's hair as if he was a little kid that did something to please his brother.  
  
And oh did Kevin HATE it when people ruffled his hair! And how he absolutely hated it when people treated him like a little kid!! He desperately wanted to say a thing or two to Lee about treating him like a kid, but he couldn't.  
  
He couldn't because then that would be disrespectful. And Lee HATED disrespect. Kevin hated it when Lee would tick him off and he had no way of getting back at him. It wasn't like there was anything stopping him from giving Lee a piece of his mind, but something in the back of his mind told him he needed to gain Lee's respect as an equal.  
  
But what he was doing was getting him anywhere but the respect he wanted, and yet he couldn't do anything about it. This was reminding him of back when he was younger, desperately trying to get Rei's attention.  
  
  
  
Rei...  
  
  
  
Maybe that was it.  
  
  
  
Perhaps he needed Lee's respect because it was what Rei had.  
  
'Damn him!' Kevin swore in his head. It was ALWAYS because of Rei!! And he had no control over it. It was like he had no control over his own actions! He was always constantly comparing himself to Rei, weather he liked it or not. And Rei was always the better one. He's the one with better skills; better personality. Even when it came to friends, Rei had more of them! He even had people in love with him, which was a lot more than what Kevin could say about himself... Speaking of which...  
  
"Mariah's not going to be happy." Kevin pointed out suddenly. He quickly regretted it. Lee still had a crush on Mariah after all these years. And everyone in the White Tigers knew that Mariah had only eyes for Rei.  
  
"No, she's not." Lee agreed while trailing off a bit. "But it's for the best..."  
  
Kevin inwardly snickered. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling it was because a picture of Lee and Mariah suddenly emerged together in his mind's eye.  
  
"You'd better get inside so that Mariah would stop worrying." Lee's voice took on the commanding role of leader once more"  
  
"Yeah, just give me a sec." Kevin replied with a bored tone in his voice. Lee went back inside to catch up on some sleep.  
  
When Kevin was alone once more, his eyes quickly roamed to the brightest star in the sky. It gleamed like a diamond in the darkness. It was calming, as the stars always were to Kevin. They were constant, always there. Unlike his life...  
  
He let his mind wander freely about his odd feeling in the gut of his stomach when Lee announced the final decision. He should be happy that Rei would be gone from his tormented life forever, then why was his heart so heavy? Was that fleeting thought true? Was he... secretly in love with Rei? Was it kept so secretly inside him the he himself didn't know it existed?  
  
So many questions, and no answers to answer them.  
  
Kevin let a small sigh of defeat slip through his lips. Everything he knew was turning upside down! And this wasn't the first time this happened...  
  
'God, I hate you Rei.'  
  
Swiftly, Kevin went into the room that held his friends. As he went in, a single star fell from its place in the black sky.  
  
*************  
  
The next day, Tyson and Max dragged the whole group into a "team bonding" thing. The whole group was to stick together and have fun for the rest of the day. And what exactly were they going to be doing? Two words.  
  
Nature Hike.  
  
"I really don't see why you had to bring ALL of us along, Tyson." Kenny grumbled. He may be smart, but his physical abilities were lacking somewhat.  
  
"Oh, come on, Chief. It'll be fun!!" Max reassured the smaller boy.  
  
"Don't worry chief, this hike will be over before you know it!" Rei added in. He was more than happy to have a distraction from his confused emotions. He'd have to thank Tyson and Max somehow...  
  
"I wish that you guys would hurry it up so we can get this over with." Kai spat while walking ahead of the group. He didn't really say much all day, but that was normal. What was abnormal about Kai today was the fact that he didn't say anything that was negative! When Tyson started the day with his usual perky-somewhat annoying- self, Kai didn't even comment about it. Why was his behavior off today?  
  
He was deciding. He came to the conclusion that he was in love with the Chinese team member, and was wondering if he should do something as drastic as to confess his emotions. A very difficult choice; one that needed to be thought thoroughly.  
  
So through China's terrain they went, seeing many beautiful sites, and awing landscapes. Finally, Max had this crazy idea of climbing a mountain to see the view from a bird's eye view. Tyson agreed in hopes of trying to get over his fear of heights. Kenny agreed because he made a deal with Max that they would go back after the climb. Rei and Kai were both off in their own little worlds and didn't really care what was going on.  
  
"Alright! This is so cool!" Tyson cried a little too enthusiastically to be normal. It was quite clear that he was afraid, mainly due to the expression on his face.  
  
"Come on Tyson," Rei called. He had snapped from his deep thoughts to enjoy the "little" climb. "You're holding us back!"  
  
Kenny wasn't fairing too well either. But kept at it with the knowledge that it would be all over after this. Kai on the other hand was... ... ... was somewhere in between. Sometimes he was so deep in thought that he would almost be as slow as Tyson or Kenny, other times he would be a few feet away from Rei. It was obvious to all that he was thinking hard and respected his solitude.  
  
Rei's mind kept on slipping towards Kai for some odd reason...well, everyone already knows the reason. Ever since last night, a bubbly feeling of...of something erupted in Rei's stomach every now and then. It usually is a result after a happy daydream about Kai... (^_^;) And with every daydream, Rei's hopes and feelings seem to rise with them. Not only did his feelings for Kai increase, but the memories of his past seem to slowly disappear with each new thought about his future. It seemed like... like Kai was somehow healing Rei... but only in his dreams...  
  
The Blade Breakers were almost at the top when they heard the familiar sounds of a beyblade battle near the top of the mountain. Being curious (well, Tyson and Max mostly), they quickly followed to where the sounds were coming from. And lo and behold, they found...  
  
The White Tigers.  
  
Yep, it was them in the flesh. Lee and Gary were practicing while the rest of them watched intently. They didn't even noticed the Blade Breakers until Kevin, having a sixth sense to know when people were watching (very helpful for a thief), spotted the intruders. His eyes quickly harden when he recognized who they were.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the TRAITOR in the flesh." Kevin sneered. He DID have a reputation to keep so he kept a show on as if those confusing thoughts never came to him the night before. "And look, he has his NEW buddies here to hide behind."  
  
By now, the rest of the White Tigers spotted them too, and the tension in the air was thick. Tyson was ready at any moment to battle for his team, so was Max but in a more calmer and controlled manner. Kenny had his laptop and Dizzy ready for calculations, Kai was in his normal stance of cold indifference, and Rei...  
  
Rei felt like he was withering from the angry stares of Lee and Kevin. Mariah had a sadden look of sympathy and Gary's eyes were focus like he was in a battle.  
  
"Rei, you dishonorable bastard, give me what is rightfully mine!!!!" Lee's voice boomed with authority and accusation. Even Kevin flinched when Lee cried out.  
  
"What do you mean, "yours"? The White Tiger is mine. And I intend to use it to learn as much about beyblading as possible." Rei stated with an honest tone. He took a quick glance at Kevin whose expression was angry, but his eyes...  
  
Rei was confused. Kevin's eyes were definitely angry, and secretly said something along the lines of you-are-a-liar-and-a-coward. But there was something else in there... something sad, lonely, afraid, and had a bit of...longing? Why was there longing in Kevin's eyes? Was it the eyes of the little boy who use to look up to Rei and now was overshadowed by the hatred that had consumed Kevin? This idea made Rei sick to his stomach... he desperately wished to forget his past at that moment.  
  
"You aren't worthy of the White Tiger!!" Lee bellowed at the top of his lungs. "It left you because it deemed you unworthy and a mistake."  
  
Rei's anger flared against his own will. Lee's taunting words were getting to him, and that surly was NOT a good thing.  
  
"Hey, why don't you just shut up!" Tyson yelled at the leader of the White Tigers. NO ONE puts down one of his teammates and gets away with it. No one. "If you wanna settle it, it's fine by me. Let's go."  
  
Before anything else was done, Max put a hand on to Tyson's shoulder to keep him from doing something irrational and dangerous.  
  
"Whoah there buddy, let's try to settle this with out violence." Max said calmly, trying too cool Tyson's flaring temper.  
  
"Come on, Lee." Mariah said in her soprano pitch voice. "Let's save our battles for the tournament." Lee gave Mariah a calculating glance before agreeing.  
  
"Fine, but remember this, Rei. The day you WANT to come home is the day you'll remember that you are a traitor. And traitors aren't welcome back into the village." With that, he walked a deliberate slow pace to the edge of the cliff and jumped with Mariah and Gary behind him. Throughout the little argument, Kevin had disappeared without anyone noticing. Where he went, nobody knew...  
  
"Well, that went well..." Kenny mumbled to Dizzy.  
  
"You're right, Chief." Dizzy chirped. "It could have ended with a bloody nose and a few black bruises."  
  
"Right, Dizzy... You haven't been downloading anything violent I hope."  
  
"Who me?" The small conversation between boy and computer continued while Tyson had his own argument with Max for stopping him. Kai, who had been silent for the whole time, kept a close watch on Rei. Rei's expression on his face was one of pain and torture. The words that were said had hurt him more than he would want to let on.  
  
Rei took a glance at the scene at made the hasty choice to go off on his own. He ran off to another part of the mountain that overlooked the sunset in the distance. It was quiet here, and he was alone to express his feeling in private.  
  
Tears rolled down Rei's cheeks as Lee's voice boomed in the back of his head. Why was everything so complicated? He was so frustrated, and angry, and hurt, and... and... and just wanted it all to stop!! Nothing was making any sense anymore! It was like, everything he knew was going up side down!! He needed something solid- something to cling on to. He wanted something that would stay by him no matter what. Something constant that would always be there in his life.  
  
'What's the matter with me? What did I ever do to deserve this!!!' This thought went over and over again like a mantra in his head. Every time it replayed, Rei sank deeper in his personal hell. It was that feeling where it was hard to breathe, and the emotion griped your heart tightly making it hard to beat. And then suddenly you can't move for you are struck to the bone with this emotion- this ultimate pain.  
  
Just then, when Rei thought that all was loss, he felt a hesitant touch on his shoulder. At first he thought it was just his imagination and kept his tear filled eyes cast toward the sun. But then the touch went from a hesitant soft touch to a reassured firm grip. It was that touch that stopped him from falling further into his black despair. Rei turned his head to see who was with him in this secluded area. And sure enough, it was Kai.  
  
Kai's eyes weren't incased in ice when Rei gazed into them, but were blazing with emotion instead. Rei momentarily got lost in the burning crimson. He knew he should stop, but he couldn't. It was like Kai's gaze alone was driving that horrible feeling away and made him do nothing but concentrate on him, and only him.  
  
Kai adverted his eyes from Rei's transfixed gaze to the beautiful sunset in front of them.  
  
"Being the chosen one to posses a bit beast is demand, yes. Especially if you have a demanding bit beast such as Dranzer." Kai glance at Rei to make sure he was listening. He wasn't sure what or why he was speaking, but his stupid heart wouldn't be ignored this time... And oddly enough, he wasn't TRYING to ignore his heart this time.  
  
"Dranzer expects perfection from me. The absolute best. At least, that's what I've always been taught. He expects many things from me... such things are strength, honor, power..." He gave a pause as if thinking twice about what he was going to say next.  
  
"But there are two things I have yet been able to provide him." Kai stated hesitantly which grabbed Rei's curiosity despite everything that had happened earlier.  
  
"Those two aspects are Love and Passion." He bore straight into Rei's amber eyes as he uttered his final sentence. His eyes were totally opposite from his tone of voice. His eyes were warm, and almost kind while his voice was cold and monotonous. Rei was confused. Just what was Kai getting at?  
  
"I'm sorry, Kai. I don't understand what you are trying to say."  
  
Kai looked at the setting sun once more.  
  
"You know that as the leader of this team, I must make sure that each of my teammates are in fit condition to battle at their best ability." He let out a breath.  
  
  
  
"So I'm asking you, Rei, what could I do to help you?"  
  
  
  
The question echoed in Rei's mind. A series of flash backs suddenly flew across Rei's mind. First he saw himself as a little boy with the White Tigers. It felt so right... ... but only for a moment. He was suddenly overshadowed in darkness, and that secure feeling vanished without a trace. Rei was now alone in the darkness. Completely, utterly, alone.  
  
Then he saw his old team again. This time, they didn't give off that secure feeling, instead they glared daggers of hurt and accusations. Rei took a glance at all of their faces, but one stood out the most. It was Kevin's. He's eyes burned with so many emotions that were directed and caused by non other than himself. It hurt to look into them, but it was like this was his punishment... One that he wanted to stop.  
  
"Rei? Are you alright?" Kai asked while snapping him back to reality. Rei had that far away look that worried Kai a lot.  
  
Rei knew now what he had to do to stop this internal torment from consuming him totally. He needed...  
  
"I need you to help me forget." Rei stated in a flat tone. Kai quirked an eyebrow. This was getting interesting...  
  
"I need you...to help me forget my past feelings... I need you to help me get over them. I need you to help me..." Rei's voice was desperate and pleading.  
  
Kai regarded Rei's desperate look with a plunging heart. He needed to help Rei. He needed to make things better for Rei because... because he loved him.  
  
He grabbed Rei by the shoulders and forced him to look into his eyes.  
  
"Tell me what to do and I'll do it." Kai sputtered out fiercely.  
  
Rei took this as a sign. If this wasn't how to end his hell, then he didn't know what to do. Rei harden his eyes in determination and took one deep breath. This was his leap- his jump.  
  
Kai had no idea why Rei's eyes went from pleadingly desperate to fearless determination. He was also sure that there was something else that was shining in Rei's eyes but had no time to figure it out for Rei closed the gap between the two with a crushing kiss.  
  
The kiss was demanding and desperate at the same time. Kai was shocked at first at this sudden action, but returned the favor as soon as he got over the initial surprise. He distinctly noticed how soft and warm Rei's lips were. He wrapped his hand around Rei's waist to pull the Chinese boy closer to him.  
  
Rei couldn't believe it! Kai didn't push him away or dislike him at all!! In fact, not only was he kissing back, but he seemed to be enjoying it!  
  
When the kiss ended, Rei didn't know what to say. He was absolutely speechless.  
  
"Well, that was interesting." Kai commented. His insides were bursting with joy.  
  
"Yeah..." Rei mumbled. There was an awkward silence. This was too weird. First thing Rei knew was that he was at the lowest of the low. Now he felt like he was soaring over the clouds. Not only that, the kiss somehow took that black, depressing feeling away from him. Somehow, that kiss made him forget. How could one kiss do that to him? Then it hit him. Hard.  
  
He was in love. For sure this time.  
  
Now Kai didn't have the advantages over his beyblading skills any more, but he also had the upper hand with his heart as well. He almost laughed out loud in happiness.  
  
Kai was glad that no words were needed to express himself. He had no idea how he was going to tell Rei his feelings and it all came out okay in the end. Not to mention better than okay. His insides were doing funny things, but felt nice for some odd reason. Kai smiled none the less.  
  
"So where does this take us?" Rei asked shyly. This situation was starting to feel embarrassing...  
  
"Wherever you want it to go." Kai said grinning now. Rei melted at the grin. No words needed to be said after that. The last ray of sunlight fell behind the clouds as the two boys walked off to join their teammates.  
  
Little did they know that someone saw the entire scene play out.  
  
Kevin jumped from the tree that he was sitting on. Neither smile nor tears graced his face. His expression was quite neutral aside from the sad grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Rei was gone for sure now. No more absurd possibilities that things could be as they once were can ever enter his mind now. Rei was gone, and he was happy.  
  
And for some unknown reason... Kevin was happy too. It was finalized that Rei will never come back and things are going to be different forever, but now Kevin could focus on the future and stop thinking about the past. Maybe one day, he will stop feeling constantly confused and afraid of himself. Maybe one day, he too will find his happiness, just like his former idol.  
  
"Heh, who would've thought..." Kevin mumbled to himself before tilting his head towards the sky.  
  
"The tiger was tamed by the passion of a phoenix."  
  
In the night sky, a newborn star shone brightly in the night sky- beaming the hope of a new tomorrow.  
  
*************************  
  
Flower_on_thewind: I have to apologize again for rushing this fic... well actually it took me forever to do, but it's the best I could do while balancing my schedule. And sorry for such a rushed ending...Argh!!! Too many apologies!! Anyways, please review my fic!! I would like to know what your thoughts about my fic are. ^_^; Oh and fics in the future, Look for another beyblading fic by me about how Rei left the White Tigers to present day and onward from that. Thank you for your time.  
  
Flower_on_thewind 


	4. OH NO! i forgot to thank YOU!

Author's Note:  
  
Flower_on_thewind: Eeeh, this fic is OLD but I forgot to do something with it..  
  
I forgot to thank the readers!!!!!! MEH, I'm so stupid!!  
  
Duo: BLAH, now look at what you have to do! There would be nothing but a loooong list of reviewers. They don't deserve the time you're wasting.  
  
Flower_on_thewind: *smacks duo with a frying pan* YOU INCONSIDERATE ASS HOLE! They deserve it all! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't know how my stories are, and what my mistakes are!!! Hell, we should give them all a cookie for being so nice!  
  
Duo: Blah, I bet nobody even remembers this fic. it's been so long ago! *reads date* woah, you last updated it. October 07, 2002. DUDE, YOU SUCK!!!!!  
  
Flower_on_thewind: T_T...I know...  
  
~*THE REVIEWS*~  
  
ME (2003-08-21): I LIKE KAIS FINAL BETTER! KEVIN WAS SO MEAN! HE HURT MY REI-CHAN TOO MUCH!  
  
Response: I'm glad you like Kai's ending better! Kai's pretty hot, ne? Thanks for your opinion!  
  
***  
  
KMM + Team MINAMI + Jack White (2003-04-26): (chapter 3)  
  
Megumi: Aww. That was cute. I loved this fic, it was so well written and full of passion!  
  
Neph: *dancing around and pretending to play the guitar* Mienai -ashita- dakara koso,  
  
WAKU WAKU, dekirun dato, ah, kizuita,  
  
never lose! Kokoro de kiru, just like cards, kitto  
  
kiseki ga okoru kara!!  
  
Megumi: Having fun?  
  
Neph: Yes. Yes I am.  
  
Megumi: Anywho, I liked both of the endings of your fic, but...oh, I can't decide which one I liked better. They were both very good. I love Rei, he's so cute. And Tala. He has purdy eyes..  
  
Neph: Shut up.  
  
Megumi: Yeah, whatever..  
  
Jack White: Can I leave now? You people are crazy and the pink haired girl is feeling my biceps again.  
  
Mao: *nuzzling up against Jack and purring*  
  
Megumi: No, you can't go, but Mao can. *pushes Mao out a window* I've always wanted to do that.  
  
Response: LOL you guys are COOL!! WAY TO THROW HER OUTTA THE WINDOW! You wanna do it again? *produces a very new and very breakable window from out of nowhere* thank you for reviewing!  
  
***  
  
Anime Angel (2003-04-07): GEEZ, IT'S LONG! *yawns* ~_~ How long can u keep this up? Huh?  
  
Response: Good question... *looks at her energizer batteries* Eeep, I gotta buy some more!! *shoves Duo out the door* GET ME ANOTHER TRUCK LOAD! (Duo: argh, she's such a dork...)  
  
***  
  
Hehe-kiki (2002-11-11):  
  
veri nice stori! itz veri kool! itz good i took mi time to read it cuz itz worth it! thumbz up!  
  
Response: Oi! Thanks for taking the time to read it! *huggles kiki* You're such a good friend! I'll let you huggle my bro too! *in comes some kid with signs of puberty sprouting on his face* -_-; you're not my brother...  
  
***  
  
moonlight-blossom (2002-10-08):  
  
Great chapter  
  
I'm so glad that I read this, it was awesome  
  
I'm glad that you wrote one ending for Kevin and one for Kai, I think that it's great you're so loose with your ideas  
  
Response: *blushes* eep, thanks for the compliment. I'm just glad that no rabid kai fan flamed me... -_-; oi, I think I might have jinxed myself. THANKS A LOT! And I really love your fic: a solitary blue. It ROX!!  
  
***  
  
Demon Rising (demon_rising@hotmail.com) (2002-10-08) chapter 3:  
  
*screams and jumps around hyperly* YESYESYES!!!!!! omg, i loved this story!! And i want more, maybe a sequel or a new Kai/Ray story *looks hopefull* This story was sooooooo good, and it was damn well worth the wait! ^_________^ now you've got me all hyper and in a Kai/Ray slurging mood.......cept ive read all the Kai/Ray fics out there and i want moreeee T.T!!! KEEP writing, make more Kay/Ray'z!!! And i disagree with whoever said a Kai/Tyson sequel......*maims them* nooooo, Kai belongs with Ray!! ^____^ Again, the one of the most bestestest storiez ive read in a while!!!  
  
~Demon  
  
Response: O______________O dude, this fic isn't THAAT great, but I'm glad it got you feeling waff-y! *glomps Demon* Kai/Ray is pretty cool, but so is Kai/Tyson... aaaahhh!! I don't know which one's better?!! Erk.*hangs head in shame* (Duo: *snickers* thanks Demon, you got her all confused now!)  
  
Chapter 2/1: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THERE WAS NO RAY/KAY MUSH/FLUFF/WHATEVER!!!!! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! lol, I'm obsessed, what can i say? It's just so kawaii! But aside from that, i TOTALLY LOVED the fic, it was really awesome! Keep writing.....maybe a ray/kai fluff later *hint hint* lol, be bak when ya got more out!  
  
~Demon  
  
...oooh, there's going to be two seperate endings....woooooops, missed that part! *laugh sheepishly* my bad, hurry hurry with the Ray/Kai ending then! ::obsessed:: But as i said before, awesome, awesome, awesome fic!! I loved it! I'll write my own Ray/Kai, but it's prolly gonna suck becuz i don't think i've seen enuff Beyblade to rilly be able to write for the characters, but meh, i'll try! KEEP WRITING, you're awesome! I rilly say the word 'awesome' alot don't i? lol  
  
~Demon  
  
Response: I think you should write your own fic!! I bet it'll be REALLY good, cuz you have the personalities down pat! Go for it!  
  
***  
  
gamefreak (2002-10-07):  
  
that was a great fic, are you going to keep on writing? more kai/rei? I hope you do  
  
Response: Erm... no... after the fic I'm currently working on, I'm not sure if I will write any more... or, if I do, I'm not sure if it will be with beyblades... BUT HEY! You never know! V-force is pretty good! Maybe I'll be inspired to write something else!  
  
*** Joce (2002-10-0) Chapter 2:  
  
Me agree with Fyredra, except that I AM obsessed with the couple of Kai/Tyson... Make a sequel for Kai/Tyson! *Looks back at the two making-out boys.* Um...gotta go! Hyper! SUGAR!  
  
Jul: *Glares at Joce, P.S. Joce itise.* Alright, which asshole fed her sugar THIS time?  
  
Joce: *Slaps Jul.* Now bad language! Children still live ya' know!  
  
Jul: Shut-up! You're only 11, and that makes YOU a child.  
  
Joce: *Ignores her.* Flower-on-thewind, pwease continue soon! Bye bye!  
  
Response: MWAHAHAHA *feeds Joce more sugar* Kai and Tyson are soooo cute together... especially when they're making-out ^_~; thanks for reviewing, and if you didn't know, chapter 3 was out a while ago!  
  
***  
  
:D (2002-09-19) (chapter 2)  
  
WANNA SEE THE NEXT CHAP UP!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D  
  
Response: IT'S UP!!!!! THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT!  
  
***  
  
Fyredra (2002-09-18 2) (chapter 2):  
  
Awwww. That. that was SO SWEET!!! *is hyperventilating with joy* Kevin is SOOOO adorable. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *continues laughing her head off with delight* Sorry, it's just that YOUR STORY'S MADE ME TOTALLY HYPER!!!!!!!!! I swear that was one of the best stories I ever read in my WHOLE. DAMN. LIFE!!!!!!!! *continues going crazy with delight* I can't help it, that was just AWESOME! *calms down a bit* Seriously, it was an absolutely WONDERFUL fic, you write Rei and Kevin REALLY well, except that Rei's a bit OOC, I ADORED Kevin in this, Kai's OOC, obviously, Tyson's excellently done. I also just have to say that the wish upon a star scenes were pure beauty, I really enjoyed them, and the butterfly kick story was very interesting as well. Even though I'm not exactly the No. 1 fan of yaoi I still really liked this!!! Maybe you should do a Kai/Tyson sequel. I'm not into that couple but. I REALLY loved this, now if you could do such a great job without the OOCness I swear you would be one of the best fanfic writers on FF.net. At least in my books. Please write more stuff with Kevin and/or Rei in it 'cuz I REALLY WANT MORE OF YOUR EXTRAORDINARILY TALENTED WRITING!!!!!! And I'm not kidding here.  
  
Totally hyper and practically ready to jump out of her skin with total and absolute delight,  
  
~Fyredra~  
  
Response: *is now a tomato from too much compliments* oi, I'm not THAT great of a writer... but I'm glad that you enjoyed it! WHEEEE ANOTHER KEVIN FAN!! There should be more of us out there! Hahaha, I agree w/ you on the OOC part. Oi, I need to work on that. Thanks for being honest w/ me! Enjoy your moment of WAFF! *is still blushing like a demented moron*  
  
***  
  
dragon'sShadowlime (2002-09-05) chapter 2:  
  
Thats was soooooo cute ::wipes a tear from her eye:: Now you got me into rai/kevin. Anyways now for ideas: kai and tyson stuck in a closet or truth or dare thats always fun.  
  
Response: LOL!!! Kai and tyson stuck in a closet... I think I read that somewhere... IT WAS HILARIOUS! I gotta remember that... thanks for the suggestion!  
  
***  
  
dragonmoon (dragonmoon1-5@eboom.com) (2002-08-31) chapter 2:  
  
WRITE MORE PLEASE!!!!I love it!!!! But I've just gotta say one correction: Occasionally, you have some weird Typos, but other than that, It's amazing!!  
  
Keep going!!! ^.~!!!  
  
Response: YOU NOTICED TOO??? *is embarassed* I know, they ARE very weird -_- ; ehhhh, oh well, it adds to the humor! Thanks for being honest! I actually didn't see all of them until you pointed it out! I always thought it was just 1-2 -___-;  
  
*****  
  
Mystik-chan (2002-08-31) chapter 2:  
  
oooo...... SO nice!!!!! ^^ *sighs happily* Kevin and Rei are so cute togetha, ne?  
  
hmm.. and the Kai/Rei chappie.. er.... the ideas section of my brain is currently turned off... :\ sorry.  
  
Response: That's alright!, I'm glad that you think Kevin and Rei are cute together! I think so too! (Even though, realistically I think they'll be in a more brother/brother relationship than romance... sigh, stupid reality thing.)  
  
***  
  
Forget-me-not (2002-08-31) chapter 2:  
  
Hm... this is long! o_o Anyways, i'm happy now that Ray and Kevin is friends again or maybe more... and er... write more plz? ^^  
  
Response: *grins* I know! It's sooo long, I bet lots of ppl took one look a the scroll bar and said "No way in hell am I gunna read this!" hehehe, if you wanna read more Kevin/ Rei, read Unitl You Catch Me...  
  
***  
  
dragonmoon (dragonmoon105@eboom.com) (2002-08-27) chapter 1  
  
Make it Kai/Rei!!! Please?!! *pouts adorably* poor Kai needs some loving!!! *snickers evily*  
  
Anyway, loved it, and I really need to read more so keep writing! ^.~!!!  
  
Response: whoot, I thanks for being part of the poll! I hope you were happy w/ the out come!  
  
***  
  
Summing up the Stars (2002-08-24) chapter 1  
  
FINISH!!!!!!!!!  
  
Response: I DID!!!! Lol, oh, I really think your fic: The saddness told by silver is a really great tribute to Sept. 11th. Thanks for being such a good citizen by posting that up!  
  
***  
  
jade-tiger1 (2002-08-23) chapter 1  
  
please make it a Kai/Rei. i think they make a cute couple. i like the story so far so please continue!! ^_^  
  
Response: hehehe, thanks for being in the poll!  
  
***  
  
Jenny-fer (2002-08-23) chapter 1  
  
Oh pleeeeeeeaaaaassssssse make it KAI+REI!!!!! ^-^ Tis my fav Beyblade pairing tis tis! Though I always am partial to originality in pairings! Rei+Kevin... Who'd a thunk? ^-^; Yes, I'm odd. You sooooooo have to continue this! I was soooo happy to see that the chapter was so long, but it ended before there was any actual Kai+Rei stuff! ;_; hehe... Anywho! Could you stick some Max+Tyson in there just for the heck of it? ^_~ Ja!  
  
~*Jenny-fer, the insane yaoi/shonen- ai/bishonen/lemon/sugar/fanfic/anime/manga addict! ^-^  
  
Response: LOL first off, thanks for being in the poll, and second of all, thanks for being open to originality in pairings! I hope you are happy with Kai's ending, and I'm sorry for not being able to put in Max+Tyson. Eeeh, that pairing is kinda hard for me to work with... sorry!  
  
***  
  
O_O (2002-08-22) chapter 1:  
  
Waiya.. if i didn't read the last part with your comments with Duo, i woulda said Kai/Rei. Dang. now that i think about it, it is kinda like Kevin/Rei too. aiya. O_O I'm just as confused if i were you writing the story. ^^" tally up the votes from all the others and so TTYS! :D  
  
~:D  
  
P.S. i blab too much. ne?  
  
Response: naw, I don't think you blab much. -_-; feh it swings both ways doesn't it. Evil chapter one. oh well, now there's two possible endings and I think it worked out pretty well! Thanks for your input.  
  
***  
  
xxTysonxisxLinasxBitchxx (2002-08-22) chapter 1:  
  
sniffles- That... was sooo kawaii! Please continue! -looks sheepish- My opinion would be Kevin/Rei... Sowwie, but I LIKE wierd pairings! For example, I love Kai/Tyson fluff cuz it's just too cute! Hmmh, that gave me some ideas! Heeheehee... Anyways, if you can, could you pweeeeeeeeeee -gasp- eeeeeeeeeeease put in some Tyson/Max or Kai fluff in there, if it'll become Kevin/Rei? -smiles nicely- Pweeeeeease? Thanx, Ja ne!!!  
  
~*~W.S.~*~  
  
Response: KEVIN/REI!!! Whoot!!! I have a believer!! YESSSS (Duo: ulp, this is it! She's lost it!) whew, ANYWAYS, if you like that pairing, read some of my other fics!! O_O. blah, I sound like I'm advertising right now -_-; oh well! Tyson/Kai fluff? Hmm, well, I can't really say that second chapter has tyson/kai fluff, BUT if you squint really really REALLY hard, maybe you can see it... or better yet, bring out the microscopes!  
  
***  
  
SilverDeathscythe (2002-08-22) chapter 1:  
  
Oh my.... that was great but i'm just as confused as you are! Hmm... well, as much as I love Kai and Rei together, a Rei/Kevin has never been done before (at least I don't think it has!). But if you do that, it would totally kill Kai, after all, isn't Rei his first love? And Kevin is in Rei's past now, it's time for him to move on. But it still seems like there's an old flame between them and ARG!!! *breaks down crying* I DON'T KNOW!! My logic just doesn't make sense anymore... WAH!  
  
Well, if Rei ends up with Kevin, Kai would probably kill himself or end up with Tyson. If Rei ends up with Kai then Kevin would probably go after Lee or still like Rei, even though he can't be with him. Oh well... hope that helps a bit!  
  
Response: you don't know how much your review meant to me. It basically outlined my fic! And I'm not saying everyone else's doesn't matter. You all matter very much, but yours were one of the first, and one of the ones that came as a big inspiration for the rest of the fic! So thanks a lot, I highly doubt this fic would have turned out the way it did if you hadn't reviewed!  
  
***  
  
Luna Tiger (2002-08-2) chapter 1:  
  
o_____o Dude, that... that... is a /damn/ difficult choice. But for one, you already have Kai pining after Rei.. ^^;;; and dammit, Rei digs everyone. I put my vote for Rei/Kevin, only if you dive deep down into the mind of our darling cuddle toy. XD Kevin's, like, all cute and plushie. You just wanna hug him and hear him squeak. And whichever one is chosen.. ={ what happens to the third wheel?  
  
Response: Yeah, I must admit that even at the time I reeeeaally liked Kai/Rei pairings, I started to fall in love w/ the idea of Rei/Kevin. I don't know what happened! In fact, I think I originally started off as a Rei/Kai. weird. And you noticed that Rei's basically falling for everyone too! Hahaha, another one of those major flaws. Hilarious, ne? Oh, and the third wheel? Eeeh, well they're generally happy in a sense that they've become wiser from the whole ordeal... blah, is this all a bit too fairy- tale-ish?  
  
***  
  
(anonymous mystery dude -_-;) 2002-08-21 chapter 1:  
  
Kai/Ray. I'm not sure if I'm a bigger Kai/Ray or a Kai/Tyson fan, but since Kai/Tyson is not a choice, make it Kai/Ray.  
  
Response: ah, but you see my friend, this is FANFICTION!!! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Whoooo hoo!  
  
***  
  
Forget-me-not (2002-08-2) chapter 1:  
  
Holy... o_o That was kinda unexpected i guess. Although pretty good, do continu!  
  
Response: Really? Oi... I didn't know that! Well, thanks for reviewing!  
  
***  
  
Mystik-chan (2002-08-21) chapter 1:  
  
WWWOOOOOOWWW!!!!! ^^ Good story! you could make it Kai/Rei, an absolutely kawaii couple that everybody loves(well, almost everybody), or Kevin/Rei, an unique couple that's never been done before that could be developed quite a bit. Soo... basically what I'm saying is.. I don't know ^^; I'd be fine with it either way  
  
Response: eeep, either way it stayed -_-; well,. I think you reviewed earlier too, but I'm too lazy to check so.eh, thanks for reviewing and thanks for being in the poll! Ad this on to whatever I said up there -_-; (Duo: you can totally see she's tired from typing. Notice how she yawns like a hippo- Flower_on_thewind:*hits Duo with her ever handy frying pan* shut up you stupid baka)  
  
~*the end*~  
  
Flower_on_thewind: well that wasn't too bad. Now everyone knows how special they are!  
  
Duo: owwwie, no need to kill off my brain cells!! I need every one of them to make your life a living hell!  
  
Flower_on_thewind: blaaaah to you!!!!! *whips out her ultra-cool-mega -whoopper- super- fyring-pan-900* be afraid. VERY afraid.  
  
Duo: eeep!! WAIT!! Time out!! WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE PPL WHO DIDN'T REVIEW BUT DID READ????  
  
Flower_on_thewind: *stops mid step* ulp, I didn't think about that! *turns to reader* thank you very much. I'd like to go into detail but YOU DIDN'T REVIEW!!! So next time, REVIEW!!! ^_^;  
  
Duo: *running away* THANKS READERS! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!  
  
Flower_on_thewind: eh??? O_O DUOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  
  
And they lived happily ever after.. 


End file.
